The Runaway Magician
by Miss Blum
Summary: VxH: Birdie is a bread girl from the slums, Dragon is a wandering Magician. When fate brings them together they struggle to let each other in without letting onto their left behind pasts. If only they knew how intertwined they really were...
1. Dragons and Birds

**Chapter One:**

Dragons and Birds

He was on the run. Not that he was _literally_ running at the moment, but he was every now and then casting a vigilant eye around the crowds of passers-by. This was the small village of Briel, nestled deep in the countryside of the world Gaia. It being one of the lesser kingdoms, it didn't have the giant bustle of commerce that more prosperous ones like Austria, Fanelia, Syrnia, Freid or Arzas had. Briel was a quiet town that's main source of livelihood was gained from the coast it bordered, fishing being one of the bigger trades. Briel did have a castle, located further up from the coast, the richer people of the town being the only ones able to afford the high priced homes. On the opposite side of town was the slums, broken dreary hovels that dotted the coast line. Between the two societies lied the market which was the busiest place, both rich and poor, noble and beggar coming together to enjoy the oddities it offered.

A strange figure noticed all of this with fascination, his dark, unseen eyes taking it in with thoughtfulness. Leaning against a brick wall next to an open-air stand that where a large, gray haired man was waving around potato's for sale, the boy drew the deep blue cloak closer around him. It reached all the way down to his brown leather boots, almost brushing the ground. It's inky hood was drawn up, falling down just past his nose, leaving only his lips visible. _Perhaps this is the place, _he thought with a small smirk, _where I will find my peace._ And with that reflection, he started off through the crowd, noting at the painful twinges in his stomach, that he would have to find some food soon.

"Hello there, Birdie!" Cried the old man, who was almost bent double with age. He had a short, white beard and moustache and was also the owner of the small flour and bean stand in the market. His light blue eyes twinkled merrily as he added, "What can I do for you this morning?"

The addressee was not a bird at all, but a young woman of nineteen years. She was dressed in a plain, pale green dress with a white apron tied around her middle. An emerald colored handkerchief was tied around her head, pushing the shoulder length golden-brown curls away from her ivory hued face. A few stray curls had found their way out, and fell into her ocean green eyes. As though her eyes didn't smile enough, her pink lips were drawn into a soft grin as she looked at the man fondly.

"Good morning, Leon." Her voice rang out sweetly. "I've come to pick up Eriya's order."

The old man glanced up at her curiously through his bushy white eyebrows and frowned. "You know I was gonna drop it off later, Birdie. You didn't have to come all the way down here!"

Birdie sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "I know I didn't have to, but I really wanted to get out to the market today, and so I found myself looking for an excuse to do so. Really, I can handle it Leon."

Birdie was not the outgoing type, and in all truth was downright shy. She wasn't one to get into confrontations, and didn't particularly enjoy solving them either. Not that the girl wasn't polite; she was well-mannered, soft spoken and no one had ever heard her raise her voice. Her green eyes were always alive and curious, and it made the girl come off as someone horribly innocent, someone that wouldn't hurt a fly (even if she tried). Someone who had never known the bad things of the world, someone who carried no hatred or regrets. When you looked into her eyes, you found yourself feeling a bit more alive, perhaps younger or lighter. Needless to say, no one was unkind to her, in fact, people found themselves inexplicably drawn to the girl, happy just to bask in her presence for awhile. These strangers, however, never stuck around long.

Birdie had come to Briel a year earlier, soon after meeting Eriya, who gave her a job at the small bread shop she owned. Over the year, Birdie had managed to make a few friends, one being the kind man before her.

"Oh, I didn't say you couldn't handle it," Leon had continued. "I just said I was going to drop it off later is all."

"Well, come off it Leon." She laughed. "Let me do it today, just this once."

He nodded and fumbled around in the stall and came up with a huge, burlap bag that contained flour. He set it next to her and Birdie handed him over some silver coins, which he shoved into his pocket dismissively. Before she took up her parcel, she turned back to him with a little glint in her eye.

"I brought you something." She said slyly as she reached under apron and produced a few, small round buns.

"Sweet bread!" the man laughed as he accepted them gratefully. "You know my favorite, Birdie."

She returned his laugh, waving as she hoisted up the huge bag onto her shoulder and started off down the street. After a good ten minutes of walking, Birdie was starting to regret her idea of picking up the flour herself. Her shoulder was beginning to throb under its weight, the burlap sack was scratching painfully against her skin through her thin dress. Little beads of sweat had formed on her brow, and she stopped long enough to wipe them away.

"Birdie!" Cried a child's voice, and she turned to see a small girl running towards her from the square up ahead. Hitomi enveloped the little girl in a hug, fondly patting her pink hair that was in two small pigtails on either side of her head.

"Merle! What are you doing here all by yourself?" The older girl said as she pulled away from the child, frowning. Merle pulled on her own orange dress impatiently, grabbing Hitomi's hand with the other.

"Birdie! It's magic!" The girl cried. "There's a magic man in the square!"

Birdie hoisted the sack up once again and started towards the square with the little girl. "You mean a _magician_, Merle. A magic man is a magician."

"He knows how to do tricks like you do!" Merle said breathlessly in her five year old voice. "And he can do even neater things too! Like turn flowers in birds-and back into flowers again! Oh! Oh! Hurry Birdie!"

The little girl ran ahead of Birdie, and as the young woman neared the square she saw a fair amount of people gathered around the center of the square, around the fountain. Upon the fountain stood a person garbed in a long dark blue robe, whose face was hidden from the crowd by the hood that covered even his nose. The only thing she could see was his mouth as he whirled around the ledge of the fountain, a small smirk that appeared as children cried out happily - the paper butterflies he'd handed out earlier had suddenly burst into flight, fluttering over their heads.

Birdie found herself smiling too, as she stood near the back of the crowd that was growing larger by the second. She heard the familiar clinking of coins as they were thrown into a small plate at the base of the fountain. He silently went though his tricks, pulling a bird from a lady's purse, balancing a teacup (that he pulled from a disbelievers ear) upon the end of a pencil, and a some flying cards.

"For my next trick," His deep, masculine voice boomed out, drawing Birdie's attention from the butterflies and back up to him. "I will need a volunteer!"

A few hands shot up and he scanned the crowd carefully, settling upon a small hand waving frantically in the back, next to a young girl in a green kerchief who was sitting upon a burlap sack, smiling at the child while shaking her head.

"The young rose haired girl in the back!" He decided, and watched Merle give a little start of surprise as she looked around, then to the young woman she was obviously with, who nodded her approval. The crowd parted for her and the young girl ran up to the fountain to the cleared area in front of it.

He held out his black gloved hand to her, helping her up on the ledge where she stood attentively.

"Will anyone miss this unfortunate, charming child when I make her disappear?" He called out in a teasing manner to the crowd. They all cheered a loud 'no' to make him continue. His eyes rested on Birdie, waiting to see if she would stop him. Although she couldn't see him doing it, she knew he was waiting for her approval and called out "No! Get rid of her!"

Flashing her a quick smile, the magician turned to the now frightened little girl, bending down to talk to her. "What's your name?"

"M-Merle…"

He patted her head fondly, and smiled. "This isn't going to hurt or anything, okay Merle? I won't hurt you. So, don't be afraid, show them how brave you are."

Merle turned to the crowd and pointed back at Birdie. "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone!"

The crowd laughed and the magician jumped down off the ledge, and turning to Merle picked her up to set her down next to him. No one caught the silent words he spoke to her as he did so, his mouth never appearing to move. He turned to the crowd, turning the now smiling girl to face them.

"Everyone, I implore you to take one last look at Merle!" Everyone's eyes were on the girl and she squirmed under all the attention. The magician grabbed one end of his long blue cloak and held it up in front of her, blocking her from view of the watchers from head to toe. Birdie was standing now.

"Behold!" He cried, releasing his cloak once more, showing the empty space where Merle had once been. He twirled around in a circle, the audience gasped and clapped appreciatively, more coins were thrown. He gave them a slight, stiff bow. "That's all for today, thank you very much!"

The crowd dispersed slowly, leaving only Birdie there, scanning the scenery carefully for the little girl. When the square was finally empty, she turned back to the magician who was patiently waiting for her. She approached him, a slight frown on her face.

"…Where is she?" Her nervous voice came swiftly.

The magician gave her a smirk. "I thought you told me to get rid of her. And so I did."

The woman shook her head at him slowly. "I didn't mean it of course, I was just playing along with your act. …Could you bring her back now please?"

The man shook his head, turning from her to collect some stray coins from the fountain's ledge. "It's not possible. Unless…"

"Unless _what_?" She said quickly, her voice laden with panic.

He turned to her once more. "Unless of course, you _do_ miss her that badly. Do you?"

The girl's emerald eyes were glowing with worry. "Yes! Yes I _do_ miss her!" And she heard a small giggle from behind the man. The Magician was grinning at her. With one arm, he lifted the front of his cloak to the side and she could see he was wearing black pants and a dark red shirt. Tiny arms were clasped around his middle, hands locked at his front, and a bit of pink hair showed from behind his shirt.

"Merle," the man said. "I think we've scared her enough."

With that, the little girl emerged from behind him and ran into the other's frantic arms. The magician turned from them, collecting the small coins from the plate on the ground and the few that had missed their target. His stomach growled.

"Oh God, Merle, you scared me half to death!" Birdie breathed into her hair. "You're mum would've killed me had I came home and told her a story like that! 'I'm sorry Eriya, I let your daughter get magicked away by a wizard in the town square.'"

Merle giggled as Birdie let her go. "I told you that you'd miss me when I was gone."

Birdie shook her head at the girl, her dark gold locks cradling her face gently. "You're not amusing at all. Come now, we've got to get back."

As she turned to leave and retrieve the flour bag, the little girl grabbed her hand and remained firmly planted in her spot. Birdie shot her a questioning look.

"Show him your magic, Birdie!" Merle said quickly. "Show him your trick!"

Birdie looked back to the man who was just now standing, placing his earned income into a small, brown leather satchel with a black gloved hand. It disappeared beneath the blue robes. The young woman shook her head.

"No Merle," she said patiently. "he's a real magician, he would know how they work. Let's go home."

Merle stamped her foot. "Not _those_! That _one_ trick you do! Please?"

She was about to protest the girl again when the blue cloaked man leisurely ambled over their way. "I would love to see your magic trick, Miss Birdie."

He noticed her cheeks light up a pretty shade of pink at the use of her name, and she noted his soft smile that emerged slowly, making her turn and even deeper shade of red. Yet she shook her head again. "I-I can't."

"I promise not to laugh." He said in same teasing voice he'd used during Merle's earlier demise.

"It's not that." Birdie replied matter of factly, calming herself to rid her cheeks of the embarrassingly pink shade. "Good day, Magician."

She turned from him and finally made it to the flour bag, Merle hot on her heels.

"Dragon." He said from behind her.

Birdie turned to him slightly as she was about to pick up the bag. "Excuse me?"

"My name," He replied coolly, bowing at the same time. "Is Dragon."

The green eyed woman stood once again, giving him a once over. "Dragon?" She finally questioned with a smile as he came closer, standing a few feet away. "Do you breathe fire too?"

"Only when I'm really annoyed." Dragon broke into a new smile, adding after a second of thought. "and for exceedingly pretty girls."

Merle turned her huge, bewildered eyes from Dragon to Birdie. "He breathes _fire_ Birdie!"

Birdie rolled her eyes. "Merle, he's jo-"

She was cut off as Dragon quickly cupped his hands around his mouth and turning his head from her, blew out between them. A great ball of blue flame shot out from his hands above them in the air, and both the girls let out a surprised gasp.

When he turned back to them with a confident smirk, he saw Merle gazing up at him in admiration, and Birdie with her hand over her heart, eyes wide with shock. Merle was first to recover.

"He thinks you're pretty!" She said, tugging on the back of Birdie's dress.

Birdie's eyes shot from the little girl, then up to the quietly smiling man before her, her face burning hotter than the flame he'd just breathed. "I fancy him as being quite irritated." She finally managed.

"Why can't you show me your magic trick?" He asked her before the little girl could argue the point.

"Because she can't see your eyes!" Merle piped up behind her.

"_Merle_!" Birdie frowned.

"Now I'm quite interested." Dragon admitted freely. "If you don't show me this trick soon, I might _really_ become annoyed."

Birdie wished her face would stop burning, sighing as she looked around nervously. After another moment of hesitation, she finally walked close to him, closing the gap between them. Frowning slightly, she swallowed while examining his mud-spattered, leather boots.

"I _do_ need to see your eyes…" She explained in a quiet voice, not looking up at him.

"I'm not stopping you, am I?" Dragon replied evenly, not moving an inch.

Birdie's frown slowly disappeared, taken in by the awkward moment between them. She raised a hesitant hand up to the inky hood that concealed his face, grasping the top of it between two fingers. Gently, she lifted it ever so slightly, not pushing it from his head. Her lips unconsciously parted as she examined his features. His eyes were a dark color she couldn't make out for the shadows that still poured over him, but his face she could see, was unlined and smooth. He was young, and couldn't be much older than her she realized. A few locks of shadowy hair spilled down into his eyes but the hood made everything so dark she couldn't tell what color it really was, and his lips… She jerked her attention back to his eyes quickly, seeing the amusement lying there. Birdie frowned at him; there was something terribly familiar about the man.

"Do I…" She said quietly, her eyes still searching his face in confusion. "…have we met?"

Dragon's lips drew into a quiet smile, but on the inside his mind was racing and panic fired up. He was quite sure they_ hadn't _met, but feared she might connect his face with something she might've seen somewhere. He ignored the faint, tugging feeling in the back of his mind as though something was desperately trying to resurface and replied, "No. I would've remembered you."

Birdie waited a moment, digesting the information slowly and at last, to his relief, nodded.

Dragon's relief didn't last long because the deep ocean green eyes that were gazing at him softly had turned serious…as though she was searching for something in his eyes. Staring down into his soul. Looking… It unnerved him.

"Oh…" She finally whispered quietly, revelation dawning upon her. "Oh, I see. How strange."

And with that her spell was broken, and Birdie backed up from him quickly. He was frowning.

"And?" Dragon asked as she untied the green kerchief from her hair, her freed golden tendrils spilling around her face.

"Shhh!" Merle told him. "Watch!"

Birdie lay the kerchief down over her flattened palm, and Dragon watched it carefully. She closed her eyes in concentration for a moment, then with one swift movement whipped it off her hand. In her outstretched palm was a small loaf of bread. Dragon's eyes shot up to her curiously.

"You have talent." He smiled in wonder, taking it as she offered it to him and forcing himself not to devour it like the ravenous creature he was in front of her.

"Not really. I can't make paper butterflies soar, or balance teacups on pencil points." She admitted, then turned to the beaming pink haired girl at her side. "You are quite satisfied now?"

Merle nodded. "Yes."

Birdie nodded at him once, lifting the bag of flour to her shoulder. "Good day, Mr. Dragon."

As she walked away, Merle quickly whispered to him before following her. "The real magic isn't making the bread appear, but knowing what your _favorite_ kind is."

Dragon frowned slightly, watching the girl skip to Birdie with ease. He observed them until they disappeared around the corner, still unsure of what to think. _For a moment I thought it was over…_ He told himself bitterly as he tore off a piece of the bread, popping it into his mouth. Apple-cinnamon. He chewed on it thoughtfully, knowing that Merle had been right about the girl's magic. _But she didn't seem to make any connections, and seemed like the type that would tell me if she had. _Despite the intense urge to devour the whole loaf, he ate a third of it and reluctantly stashed it away in the haversack under his robes. He unhurriedly set off down the street in the same direction the girls had gone, towards the slums, knowing that it would be the only place he would be able to afford lodgings for the night.


	2. A Child'S Confession and The Ear Frog

**Chapter Two:**

A Child's Confession and The Ear Frog

Birdie stopped at the entrance of _The Escaflowne_ and sat down on the steps. It wasn't exactly a nice building, but it wasn't as run-down as the ones it was wedged between. Over time, Birdie had learned that Eriya had inherited it from her late husband, Mr. Folken, who had passed away three years ago. Left with a set of twins (Merle and Dilandau) to raise, times were tough for the flaxen haired mother. _The Escaflowne's_ lower floor was a restaurant that specialized in bread and soups. The three upper floors were empty rooms that she rented out to the few travelers that made their way to Briel, mostly consisting of fishermen on short layovers.

During festival times, business was good yet taxing on the hard-worked widow. When the opportunity to employ Birdie had come, she'd fell all over it gratefully. In return for room and board, the golden haired girl spent her days baking bread and cooking soup in the kitchen on the first floor, serving any customers that called, straightening up the rooms of occupants while they were out and running odd errands. Babysitting the twins could be added to this list, but she never considered it a part of the tedious tasks she performed, loving the two as though they were truly related.

Wiping away the sweat that stung her eyes, she caught her breath. If it was this hard for her bringing the bag all the way down here, how much harder it must be for Leon! She glumly made a silent vow to carry it herself from this day forward. Merle had run inside to tell Eriya and Dilly of the fire-breathing magic man and her disappearing act. Knowing she couldn't sit out here much longer, she reluctantly stood and brought her weighty parcel inside.

She made her way through the restaurant and to the back kitchen where she silently rejoiced as the flour found its final resting place. She could hear three sets of footsteps coming down the stairs from the upper floor, to the left of the front counter.

"…little steps on the back of his shoes and I stood on them!" Merle's cute voice was explaining. "No one could see my feet because his cloak was sooooo long and I was under it! Birdie was scared to death!

"That's nice, dear." A light, yet weary voice replied, obviously Eriya's.

"And he really breathed _fire_?!" Came Dilly's awed squeak as they entered the main restaurant. Birdie shook her head with a silent laugh as she recalled the spectacle, and opened the flour sack, digging out a large scoop of it and casting it expertly onto the kneading board in front of her.

"Yeah! It was blue!" The little girl continued. "His name is Dragon!"

The golden haired woman frowned at that. She found herself recalling the color of his eyes, the familiarity of his face. The way he had smiled at her softly, yet his eyes betraying the fear that had taken him. _You'll never see him again._

"Wow…I wish I could breathe fire…" Dilly said in a disturbingly wishful tone. Hitomi winced. _There's something definitely wrong with that boy._ She thought to herself, scratching the side of her face contemplating the several outcomes of Dilly breathing fire, smearing white flour across her cheek in the process. She threw in the yeast and started kneading.

"Birdie!" Came Eriya's voice from the front.

"Yes?" She called back.

"I have to change the sheets and towels in rooms eight and three. Could you watch the front for a little while?" Birdie called back a 'yes', and Eriya turned to the twins. "Why don't you go outside and play for bit? It's a beautiful day."

Dilly brushed his silver hair back out of his eyes. "Can we have some money?"

Eriya frowned, but after a moment of looking in their pleading eyes, decided that paying them to leave her alone might be worth it. She fished a few copper coins from her pocket and dropped two in each of their uplifted hands. "Don't talk to strangers!" She warned as they fled the building with ecstatic smiles.

The streets were dim and cold, the day giving way to evening. The flow of people on the streets had dinned, and Dragon noticed that the shops were closing up for the day. He had spent most of the day wandering back and forth between the rich and poor parts of the town, tucking certain locations away in his mind. He chewed thoughtfully on another small chunk of the bread and continued down the street, the rickety houses looking ready to cave in upon each other if he breathed too hard in their direction. He stopped, standing motionless under the rose hued sky, scanning his surroundings.

"Mister Dragon!" Came a tiny, excited voice from behind him, accompanied by quick steps.

He turned to see the little girl he'd met earlier that day running toward him with a little silver haired, cherry eyed boy in tow.

Smiling down at them, he quickly reached into his robes for something before they both came to a jerky to a stop in front of him. "Hello Merle. And who might your friend be?"

The boy grinned up at him, replying before Merle opened her mouth. "I'm Merle's brother, Dilly! We're twins. Are you the man that did the magic?"

Dragon shot him a questioning frown. "_Magic_? There is _no such thing_ as _magic_, my dear boy." Just as Dilly's face started to fall in disappointment, the man reached for Dilly's ear and tapped it playfully, the boy looking perplexed. "Oh? Did you hear that?" He said wonderingly, tapping Dilly's ear again. "I believe your ear just said 'ribbit', Sir Dilly."

The boy reached a hand up to his ear and lowered it again, confused. "No, it didn't."

Dragon made sure Dilly saw his seemingly empty hand as he raised it back to the boy's ear. "Are you so sure? Then what's this?" He brought his hand back to Dilly and showed him the frog that sat there, squinting up at the boy with a surprised look that matched his own. Dilly gasped.

"Woowww…" The boy breathed as the frog hopped from Dragon's hand and Dilly quickly ran after it, leaving Merle grinning up at him.

"Isn't it a little late for you two to be running around?" The man questioned her lightly. "Surely your mum is worried by now."

Merle shook her head, pointing to a building a little ways down the glum street. It was taller than the ones surrounding it, and had a wooden sign hanging off the side and in long scrawling letters he could read, '_The Escaflowne'_. "We live right there. My mom owns it."

"Really?" Dragon mused. "And how is your sister doing?"

Merle's expression went blank. "What sister?"

The Magician broke away from the sign to cast a sideways glance at her. "Birdie. I thought she was your sister."

"No, Birdie is _adopted_. She started living with us a year ago." Merle said pointedly, as if he should've known this. "She watches me and Dilly, and helps Mom run the Inn and restaurant."

"I see." Dragon replied, bringing a finger to his lips, considering something quickly. _I never should've let her see my face. What if she **does** know and was just not letting on about it? What if she turns me in? What if-_

"Can I keep him?" Dilly's voice cut into his thoughts, and saw the boy clutching the frog tightly in his hands.

Dragon grinned. "It's _your_ ear frog. But I'd definitely bring it up with your mother before you make any permanent arrangements."

The red-eyed boy nodded vigorously before running towards the building Merle had pointed out earlier.

"Do you really have no where to live?" Merle asked curiously now, and Dragon's eyes went wide with alarm. He scanned over their earlier conversations, trying to remember if, when and most of all _why_ he'd presented this information to her and came up empty.

"Who told you this?" Dragon eyed her warily.

"Birdie." The pink haired girl said offhandedly, digging in her small pocket for a candy she'd bought earlier and popping it into her mouth. She continued speaking around it. "I asked her if you lived in this town because I wanted to see your magic show again, and she told me you _couldn't_ live anywhere."

The man continued staring at the innocent child, his fears coming to life. "And did she say _why_ I couldn't live anywhere?"

Merle turned her head up at him, a frown on her small face. "Because you're running."

"Merle!" Called a voice from the doorway of _The Escaflowne_. The dumbstruck Magician managed to pull his eyes from the girl and to the woman standing there, waving. "Merle, it's getting late dear! Come inside!"

"Okay Mom!" Merle called back and started to walk away. She paused, turning back to the silent blue robed man. Walking to him, she grabbed his hand in hers. Dragon turned his attention back to her, still trying to fathom what he was going to do now that his secret was out. She smiled up at him warmly, "You can live with us tonight if you want to, but you have to pay my mom. That's how the Inn works. You give her money, and you can sleep there for a night."

Dragon tried to collect his thoughts that Merle had smashed to little bits with a few of her simple, innocent words. Straightening, he considered her offer a moment, then nodded, letting the little girl lead him to the building and through the front door. _If I can see Birdie again, I can ask her what she knows, then decide my next move._ He thought as Merle shut the door behind him.

The inside was nicely furnished, with unfinished wooden floors and a few tables and high-backed chairs covering the wide open space to his left, a fire burning brightly in a giant heart along the left wall. To his right was a counter where transactions were made, and behind that a kitchen. Further up the right wall was a large set of stairs that led up to the second floor. The comeliness of it all didn't set him at ease.

"Can I help you?" The woman, Merle's mother asked him from behind the counter, slightly surprised and put off by his appearance.

Before Dragon could reply, Merle ran to her mother, tugging on her long blue dress with big eyes. "Mom! Mom, this is Mister Dragon, the magic man!" She quickly explained. "Can he stay with us tonight? _Please?"_

Eriya gave him suspicious once over. "You're the one that made her disappear earlier?"

He quickly regained his composure, and walking to her he pressed his hands together in front of him. Eriya watched as he opened them slowly, two blue, smoky butterflies rising up from his outstretched palms and they fluttered over to her lightly, dancing around her head. Her eyes lit up as they wafted away into the air, the smoke evaporating slowly.

"That would be me," He replied politely, observing her awed face. "Forgive me if it was not to your approval, but Merle _did_ make a wonderful Magician's apprentice."

Eriya smiled at him warmly, his concealed, mysterious features no longer striking her as ominous. "Well, I'm glad she could be of help. You really made her day you know. I'm Eriya, Merle's mother." She held out her hand and instead of shaking it, he took it daintily in his hand, nodding his head to her slightly. Merle had disappeared with Dilly to a table in the far corner where she watched his frog through a thick glass jar.

"Dragon the Magician." He replied coolly as he released her hand.

"So, you are in need of lodgings then?" Eriya smiled. "We have quite a few empty rooms."

He nodded curtly. "Yes, how much would it be for a night?"

Eriya waved a hand at him dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about it. You are downright _welcome_ here, Mr. Dragon. I admit I wasn't especially caring of Dilly's…_ear_ frog, but I suppose I can let that slide."

Surprised, Dragon shook his head. "I could never accept such hospitality, Ms. Eriya. I assure you I can pay the full price for the room."

"Oh, hush yourself right now." Eriya chided him in a motherly tone. "Merle and Dilly are so fond of you already."

"But-" He tried before she cut him off again.

"If you're _that _worried about it, I'll let you work off the debt. Can you install a chandelier for me?" She offered.

Dragon stood stoic. This woman was just too kind for her own good. "C-chandelier?"

Eriya nodded curtly as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yes, I have a chandelier in the basement that I wanted to put up there." She said, pointing a finger a spot in the ceiling above the tables in the dining area. "But I haven't managed to get around to it. Actually, there are a few things I haven't gotten to…how long are you in town for, Mr. Dragon?"

He shrugged. "I haven't decided yet, but I would be more than willing to hang a chandelier in return for this favor."

Eriya nodded happily. "Good, good. Well, that can wait until tomorrow though. Are you hungry?"

"Famished." He admitted.

"How about some beef stew with fresh bread?" She offered. "If you ask for anything else, you won't get it. We specialize in bread and soups."

"That sounds perfect." The Magician politely replied, his mouth watering at the thought of food that was actually heated. Eriya nodded and as she headed back to the kitchen she paused. Cupping her hands, she called in the direction of the stairs. "Birdie! Could you come show our guest to a room?" She waited until there came a thumping sound from above, as if someone had stamped their foot twice. Turning back to Dragon she smiled. "She'll show you to a room. I'll send one of the kids up to fetch you when dinner's ready."

"Thank you." He managed, his insides suddenly running cold at the sound of the green-eyed girl's name. _She knows._

Quick, light footsteps descended the stairs with ease, and Birdie skipped the last stair with a small, graceful hop. He watched her land lightly at the bottom and turn to see her new charge… Her eyes grew wide with surprise for a split second before settling upon his face warmly.

"Mr. Dragon." She greeted him, her bell-like voice happy and light. "How nice to see you again." And she meant it. She'd honestly figured she'd never see the man again.

He gave her a low bow, returning her smile, but Birdie noticed there was something altogether distant about it. "And you as well."

For a moment neither did anything, until Birdie suddenly remembered why she'd been called down in the first place. Casting a look around the practically empty room her green eyes returned to him curiously. "Are you staying with us?"

He took a step towards her while nodding slowly. "On the condition I hang a chandelier in the morning."

Birdie laughed and he found himself relaxing at the sound. "Eriya is too _kind_. Well, come on then."

He followed her to the second floor and to a room at the far end near another set of upward stairs, where she opened the door and stood off to the side, her hands clasped softly in front of her. Dragon slowly entered the room, casting a look around at his new surroundings. There was a bed on the right wall, and a window on the opposite wall from the door. A small nightstand stood next to the bed, and on the left wall a writing desk with a candle holder. She watched him walk to the window, parting the curtain with a gloved hand to glance at the scenery below. Outside lay the dark street he had stood on while talking to Merle and Dilly earlier. He could see the sea at the end of the road.

"Is it alright? Do you want a different room?" She carefully asked.

He turned to her, shaking her head. "No, this one is fine. I thank you."

"How long will you be staying with us?" She asked him, still standing at the entrance.

Dragon frowned at her, the same distant look highlighting his face again. "Just for the night."

Birdie nodded knowingly, then turned to leave. He watched as she paused at the door, a sudden awareness flowing over her ivory colored face.

Turning to him again, she finally spoke. "You don't have to worry about it."

He flinched as though she'd just dealt him a quick blow. He swallowed, still recovering from it as he threw up his guard. "About what?"

Birdie looked to the floor then, feeling the coldness of his words. Dragon heard the disappointment in her own. "I just thought…that maybe Merle had said something to you."

"She did." He replied with a little less force than before, crossing his arms in front of him, waiting for her answer.

"So," she continued, now rubbing her foot against the carpet nervously, her eyes downcast. "I just wanted to tell you not to worry about it. I don't know why you're running, and I'm not going to go tell anyone you are."

His arms fell to his sides. A moment of silence ensued. "How did you know?"

She felt her face start to heat up and continued to avoid his gaze. "It's just…something I saw in your eyes."

"Along with my liking towards apple-cinnamon bread?" He noted curiously, his scowl starting to disappear.

The tension shattered at her laugh. Green eyes turned up towards him now, jovial. "Yes, I suppose so. So I got it right then?"

Dragon nodded, his scowl replaced with a small smirk. "Yes, and I might have to get you to teach me how you do that one. Could come in handy out on the road."

Birdie shook her head. "I figured you would've know how _that_ one works, Master Magician."

Dragon frowned. "…You already had the bread with you then?"

She nodded.

"You just happened to have _my _favorite kind of bread on you? I didn't notice you were a walking bakery, Birdie." Dragon caroled.

"No, no. It was just lucky for me I suppose." Birdie giggled. "It just happens to be _my _favorite kind of bread too, and I had planned on being at the market for awhile, so… I was worried when Merle asked me to do the trick, because I would've had to make you walk all the way back here with me for any other kind."

"…How strange."

"That's what I said, remember?" She cited. "At first I thought maybe I had figured you wrong."

"No," He professed. "you figured me right…unfortunately."

Another rough silence ensued. After the moment had passed, Dragon sighed.

"Well," He announced. "I will try not to worry about it then."

Birdie looked up to him, a small smile on her lips. "Okay." She turned to leave for a second time. "I'll send one of the kids up to fetch you for dinner. Is there anything else I can get you?"

Dragon shook his head. "No, I thank you."

The girl nodded, exiting the room and heading down the stairs. The Magician peered out the window once again. _Perhaps I can stay awhile longer. Birdie wasn't lying to me, and even went as far as confessing to what Merle had told me without my asking her. I respect her for it, but respect and trust have a wide line drawn between them, that only a select few can see…_ He walked to the bed and laid down, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. He tried to remember the last time he'd lain on a bed this comfortable, in a room this warm. He grimaced, the memory creeping up on him like a bad dream. With a shudder, Dragon dismissed the thought and after a few minutes, inadvertently drifted off.


	3. Dinner, Dishes and The Untimely Ter

**Chapter Three:**

Dinner, Dishes and The Untimely Termination of a Prince

"Is he coming?" Eriya queried Dilly from the head of the table as he returned to the dining room, taking his seat next to her. Sitting next to each other on one side of the long, wooden bench, both Merle and Birdie frowned at Dilly as he set his ear-frog next to him, where Dragon was meant to sit.

"I think he's _sleeping_." Dilly finally replied after making sure his new companion was quite comfortable (or as comfortable as a frog in a glass jar _can_ be). Eriya nodded to him, eyeing the ear-frog suspiciously, as though it might jump out of the jar and into the stew at any given moment.

She filled white bowls with the brown, meaty stew and passed them around the table while Birdie passed out oat furls and filled glasses with cold milk.

"Well, let's not wake him then." Eriya said, starting in on the meal. "He's probably exhausted."

"How long will Mister Dragon stay with us?" Merle bubbled. Like her mother and Dilly, she'd taken quite a liking to him.

Her mother shrugged. "As long as he wants to, but don't get your hopes up Merle. He seems like an itinerant boy to me."

Merle frowned. "A _what?_"

Birdie gave a soft laugh. "A nomad, Merle. A rolling stone. A drifter?"

A light bulb went off in her eyes as she finally caught on. "Oh, you mean he wanders. Yeah, but maybe he'll stay anyways?" She added hopefully.

"It would be nice to have some muscle power around here." Eriya remarked more to her self then the others.

Birdie snorted. "Muscle? Are you trying to rid me of my tasks? _I've_ got more muscle than that scrawny conjurer."

"Mister Dragon is _not_ scrawny!" The pink haired girl yelled in his defense, banging her spoon on the table at the word 'not' for emphasis. Obviously she felt it was her responsibility to stick up for him since she was really the first to know him. Birdie laughed into her soup at the girl's antics.

"Forgive my belatedness, but it seems I drifted off." Came an amused voice near the stairs. Birdie's laugh died in her throat as Dragon strolled over to Dilly taking his seat next to him. Inwardly groaning, she unconsciously shielded her eyes from him with one hand.

"No reason to apologize," Eriya smiled, dishing him up some food which Dilly passed down to him carefully. "I thought you might be tired. Changed your mind?"

"Well," He informed her with a small smile. "I just figured I should really get down here and _eat _something since I'm looking positively_ skeletal_ as of late."

Birdie's cheeks flared up and the twins snickered, Dragon continuing to eat in silence while relishing the moment. He wasn't particularly offended by her comment, but sure was enjoying the reaction he was getting out of her.

"Do you always wear that robe?" Dilly questioned him, Birdie drawing in a breath of relief at the change of subject.

"Yes." The Magician replied curtly. "I don't want anyone knowing how skinny I_ really_ am."

Even Eriya was smiling, the twins breaking into fits of laughter again and Birdie had stopped eating altogether. Frowning into her soup she felt her stomach run out the door, dragging her composure along with it. With a smirk, Dragon decided he'd given her enough grief.

"So," He beseeched Dilly now. "I see your mum let you keep your ear-frog. Does he have a name?"

Dilly beamed up at him, holding the glass jar up to Dragon for closer inspection between two palms. "I named him Giro-giro. Just Giro for short."

Dragon gave Dilly his nod of approval as he studied the poor creature trapped in the glass that was gazing at him pleadingly. "Giro, huh? It's a good name. Just don't let him get_ too_ scrawny, or Birdie will frown upon him." Okay, _now_ he was done giving her grief. She whimpered unhappily from across the table, still scowling at her soup and unable to look at him. Merle was now crying and holding her ribs with a painfully amused look that only a five year old could muster.

"Allen Schzar came by this morning." Eriya changed the subject, her eyes darting to Birdie as the silent girl suddenly coughed into her stew. Birdie shot her an annoyed glare and Dragon observed this with an indifferent look.

"What did he want?" The girl bit out her words sharply.

"He bought some bread." Eriya replied. "And seemed _very_ disappointed that you were out at the market."

"Did he choke on it?" Birdie spat bitterly before realizing how horrible she must've sounded and brought a delicate hand to her mouth in horror. Dilly started giggling but stopped as Eriya shot him a stern glare before turning back to Birdie.

"Most girls would be falling all over themselves if that man came calling on them." Eriya chastised her. "There's definitely something wrong with you Birdie."

Dragon leaned none-too-conspicuously towards Dilly. "Who's Allen Schzar?" He whispered loudly.

"Birdie's _boyfriend_. He lives in the rich part of town, and even knows the _King_." Dilly informed in an equally quiet voice.

The girl rolled her eyes at them before turning back to the offended woman. "He's a _prat,_ Eriya. A _noble_ prat at that. Doesn't it strike you as _odd_ that out of _all_ the noble ladies snapping at his heels like rabid dogs, that he should decide to harass someone like _me_?"

Dragon gave a small chuckle, Birdie and Eriya shooting him questioning looks. He faltered. "Just…women in big dresses…foaming at the mouth, sharp teeth…red eyes…" Frowning he turned back to his soup. "Sorry." The green-eyed woman grinned at him, glad he could see her point.

"He thinks you quite beautiful, Birdie. He tells you every time he sees you." Eriya hastened. "Can you think of any other man who's gone out of their way to tell you something like that?"

Blue flames flared up in her mind and she swallowed, Dragon turning from them to examine a very remarkable wall that he hadn't noticed before. Merle started to squirm in her seat and Birdie quickly nudged her with an elbow, giving her a warning glare while she was at it. Merle returned the look with more enthusiasm.

"Um…" Birdie stuttered, knowing Eriya was waiting for an answer.

Eriya gave her a smile before continuing. "I just think you should give him a _chance_ is all. You haven't said more than ten words to the poor man ever since he came here that day. And he's been by more than ten times! Birdie, you need to _get out more_."

"…I'll think about it." She replied darkly as she rubbed a hand across her eyes. In truth, she just done just that and decided she'd rather have her gums scraped.

"Don't think too long about it, or you'll miss this chance." Eriya supplied, finishing her food.

"Oh, what a _shame_ that'd be." She muttered from behind a piece of bread. Eriya gave her one last scowl before rising from the table and excusing herself, went up to bed. Birdie knew she was tired, and didn't mind being stuck with dish duty as it was routine. The four continued the meal without her.

Merle chewed on an oar furl, looking over to Birdie darkly. The woman glanced at her from the corner of her eye and frowned. "You keep that up," she encouraged. "With any luck your face will get_ stuck_ that way."

Merle pounded her spoon down on the table once more, Dragon and Dilly giving small starts of surprise. "And_ you'll_ get stuck-with _Allen Schzar_!" Merle cried, her small voice cracking at the words. She really was, quite a dramatic five year old.

Birdie set down her spoon lightly and turned to her with a soft grin. "Do you really dislike him that much?"

The little girl managed her tightlipped disposition for few seconds before she opened her mouth once more, her voice breaking. "Are you leaving?"

At this Dilly's face screwed up, and he adopted his sister's look with fear. "You're leaving…?" Even Giro looked terrified, but probably for a completely different reason. Had they been able to see Dragon's face, they would observe that he too, was absolutely panicky, but mostly because he'd found himself between two children that were heading towards a full-fledged fit.

"That's enough!" Birdie scolded, banging her own spoon down. "I'm not going anywhere, and you know it."

"But," Dilly frowned, staring at her with glassy eyes through the glassy jar that Giro was also staring at her from, as glassily as a frog can. "But what if he has a white horse? And-and he's a prince or something Birdie? Would you leave if he was a prince like in those 'happily ever after' stories you tell us?"

"The only decorous position that man holds is being a royal _pain in the side_. And if he just _does_ happen to be a prince, then his story should end with him falling from his big white horse, breaking his neck and rolling into an abyss, never to be heard from again." With a bitter note, she added, "And I lived _happily ever after_."

"Why," Dragon finally spoke out. "I never knew you were such a romantic, Birdie. Do all your tales end that way, with the untimely termination of the prince?"

Merle giggled. "No! In her stories-"

"I think its time for bed." Birdie interjected, shooting the twins a meaningful stare that meant no arguments would be heard. "Both of you, go on up. We have a busy day tomorrow. And don't forget Giro, Dilly."

The twins got up dejectedly, both hugging Birdie, and to Dragon's surprise hugging him too. He stiffly returned the gesture, a bewildered, uncomfortable frown on his lips as they waved goodnight and headed up the stairs, sharing some of their five year old thoughts with Giro on the way. Shaking her head with a smirk, she started collecting the dishes from around the table, Dragon standing to help her.

"Don't worry about it," She started, balancing the bowls with one hand. "I can clean up."

"That's twice now you've told me not to worry." He mused, waving a hand over the large soup pot and it rose in the air without him touching it. "If you keep this up, I shall start to believe the world is a very carefree place indeed."

Her green eyes watched the soup pot warily, and she slowly turned to head for the kitchen. "Well, I wouldn't want to instill you with any false hopes, so I shall keep my mouth shut from now on." She made it to the large sink in the back, setting the bowls inside. She turned back to Dragon, who was standing off to the side near the kitchen door, allowing not only the soup pot to go before him, but glasses, spoons and plates as well. The girls ocean green eyes grew wide with fresh awe as the dishes slowly found places next to the sink, a hint of a smile playing on her parted lips. As the last spoon found a resting place inside the sink, Birdie finally managed to tear her gaze away from the now inert cutlery and back to the man who was standing in the doorway with an amused smirk.

"That…" She breathed. "That was_ real_ magic!"

He chuckled lightly as he leaned against the doorway. "Well I would've carried them, but I feared you might faint at the sight of me lifting anything a fourth of my own body weight."

Birdie's awed eyes grew wide and Dragon watched her cheeks give off the tell-tale signs of her embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean…"

He spread his arms wide, the long sleeves of the inky robe hanging down to his waist. He gave himself a once-over before looking up to her again. "It's the cloak, isn't it?"

She frowned, filling the sink with warm water. "Well, it certainly doesn't _help _your case at all. But I can agree that it is very Magician-like."

"And _comfortable_ to boot." He interjected with a pointed gloved finger. "Not to mention, it's a _magic_ cloak. I hear those are the best kinds for Magicians such as myself."

"Magic cloak?" She queried, shutting off the water and grabbing a towel next to the sink.

Dragon nodded once, then motioned around the room with a hand. "Would you mind if I looked around?"

"Not at all, though it's about as interesting as every other kitchen out there." Birdie answered, confusion lacing her voice. "Just don't go rearranging anything, or you'll double my work tomorrow."

The Magician nodded again, slowly glancing around as he ambled along, hands clasped behind his back. He examined everything with a curious frown: the instruments hanging from the walls, the kneading board on the island in the middle of the room, the fire that had burned down under the stove to mere embers. Birdie watched him from the corner of her eye as she continued washing the dishes, not quite trusting him to follow her instructions.

"You act like you've never seen a kitchen before." The girl implied as she set another bowl down to dry on the rack to her right.

"I haven't." He replied in a quiet, offhanded tone as he picked a whisk off of the wall, frowning down at it for a moment before putting it back in it's place. "Well, not for a long time anyways."

Birdie had her hands in the water but they'd seemed to forget their chore as she watched the mysterious figure crouch down to observe the bags of flour and beans against the opposite wall, his head leaning to one side as he read the contents. Finally, he stood and Birdie looked away, back to the sink. Dragon strolled back to the door, a thoughtful look upon his lips.

"I think I shall retire for the night, unless you are in need of any more assistance?"

Birdie turned to stare at him once more, his strange mannerisms still playing though her mind, her gaze wavering from his face to his brown, worn leather boots. "No, I can manage, thank you for your help."

"Goodnight, Birdie." The man said distantly, giving her a small bow before he turned and left the kitchen.

"Goodnight, Dragon." She echoed, but no one was there.


	4. A Dream, a Song, a Fire and a Promise

**Chapter Four:**

A Dream, a Song, a Fire and a Promise

A large woman in a crisp, white dress was stirring something in a large, silver bowl with a strange, peculiar instrument he had no word for, but the noise it made was _whisk, whisk, whisk_ as it scraped the inside of the bowl.

Why was this woman so tall? Why is _everything _so tall? The woman stopped _whisk, whisk,_ _whisking_ and cast a look at the watcher, an amused smile lighting up her round face.

"You're not supposed to be here…" She informed the bystander gently.

Everything started melting, colors blending into one another until there was nothing but darkness left. Out of the darkness, a soft voice was singing from above, a woman's voice floating down from the heavens.

_Stay here for just a while_

_And I shall sing to you_

_The saddest story ever sang_

_So sad, because its true_

_It starts with 'once upon a time'_

_Though this wasn't long ago_

_Beginning with a silent garden_

_Covered in white snow_

_The first sad thing I must confess_

_Because this is how the story goes_

_Was this garden lay inside of door-less walls_

_That were by no means low_

Dragon blinked once, trying to get a sense of his surroundings. The room. The room Birdie had shown him earlier. The darkness that covered everything was indeed, the night. He breathed deeply, wondering where he had conjured up such a vivid dream, such a sweet voice-

_They towered proudly above the heads_

_Of the two children watching there_

He sat up quickly, the bed giving off an angry creaking noise. Someone above him had been singing…he waited for the exquisite, soft voice to continue but nothing came. Letting out the breath he'd been holding, he lay back down, staring hard at the ceiling. Images of snow covered gardens and towering walls pricked at his mind, and he gave an involuntary shiver. After what seemed an eternity, he closed his eyes, deciding he must've imagined the whole thing. That was the only way his mind would give him enough peace to drift off again.

Dragon awoke to the sound of small footsteps running down the stairs from the floor above, followed by another equally small set.

"Me first-me first!" called out a small, girlish voice.

"No way! You got to be first _yesterday_!" replied the other boyish one.

He rose and did a quick stretch before opening the door to the room and peering down the hallway at the strange sight that met him. Both Merle and Dilly were standing at a closed door in their pajamas at the far end of the hall, each trying desperately to get their hands on the door handle. They both looked up at the sound of Dragon's footsteps approaching.

"Should I even bother to ask?" He said with a hint of curiosity.

Merle looked up to him through her mussed hair without letting her hands off the handle. "All the rooms have bathrooms," she explained, Dragon remembering the shower he'd taken last night in his own room, delighted at the feel of the warm water and trying not to think of how long it'd been since he'd last had the opportunity to do so. Merle continued. "but this is the only one with a mirror."

"Which you got to use first _yesterday_!" Dilly protested angrily, his own hair sticking out in odd directions.

The door quickly opened and the twins fell forward, a waiting set of arms catching them swiftly before they hit the floor. Dragon saw Birdie, dressed in a rather plain burgundy dress, a reddish purple kerchief with small green sequins embroidered around the edges, holding back her still wet locks of golden-brown hair. The twins frowned up at her.

"Neither of you are first." She grinned at them, setting them both upright before moving from the door.

"You _don't count _because you're _always_ up before _everyone_." Merle informed her sternly.

"Too true." She agreed, and Dilly quickly took advantage of Merle's distracted state and ran into the bathroom, locking the door. Merle stamped her foot down angrily and Birdie tried not to smile as the pink-haired girl turned on her heel and stomped all the way back to her room.

"Is this routine?" Dragon asked, drawing her attention to him quickly. She gave a sigh while nodding.

"Unfortunately." She replied, heading towards the stairs leading to the first floor. "If you ever, for any reason need to use the mirror, I suggest you plan on waking before the sun rises, or you'll be standing in line."

He flashed her a smile as he followed her downstairs. "Yet another good reason for the cloak."

Her laugh warmed him as he found a seat at a table near the hearth that Birdie was throwing large chunks of fresh wood into. She paused in her task long enough to cast him a sideways glance, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did." He lied to her, not wanting to recall the events. "And you?"

Birdie nodded softly, rearranging the wood until she was satisfied with it and grabbing a box of matches from her white apron pocket, took one out and went to strike it against the strip on the side. Dragon watched her with an devious smile, as she reached in the hearth with the match in hand.

Birdie made a small clicking noise with her tongue as the match sputtered out just as it approached the wood.

"This is going to be a horrible morning." She said, sighing.

"What makes you say that?"

Birdie grinned at him sheepishly, the dead match still in her hand. "If you get it right the first time, it will be a good day. If you lose a match, a horrible morning awaits."

She flung it into the hearth and took another match from the box and lit it again, bringing it to the wood. It died, not inches away from its target. She cursed under her breath, bringing out yet another match, staring at it suspiciously.

"What about two?" He questioned with a laugh.

"A horrible afternoon as well." She muttered darkly, frowning at her luck.

He observed her small moment of internal debate before she stuck the third against the wall and it burst into flames.

Carefully, she shielded the flame with one hand and lowered it to the wood with the other. She didn't dare blow a sigh of relief as it brushed against the wood…and died. She didn't drop it, but stared at it unblinkingly with disbelief. Something then occurred to her and she slowly glanced over her shoulder to Dragon with a scowl on her lips. His face was expressionless.

"You didn't…" Birdie started.

"Didn't what?" He replied curiously.

She shook her head solemnly. Dragon grinned when she turned from him, masking the amusement in his voice as he asked, "And three?"

"I have no idea." She groaned. "I've never gotten past two."

Birdie threw the match in the fire, frowning, drawing yet another from the box. She stuck it against the wall once more and watched it as it went up in orange flames. She stared hard at it. And then, to her dismay, it turned pink. Then blue. Then green, before it suddenly took on the figure of a fiery person, leapt off the match, dancing away from it with apparent glee. It waved a fiery hand at her.

"_Dragon_!" She tried to say as angrily as she could, throwing the empty match to the ground, the Magician knowing she was secretly amused by the smile on her lips and the way her cheeks lit up. The green flame jumped back from her, feigning surprise, then seemed to hang it's head. She laughed as she turned to him, her ocean eyes glittering. "You're horrible."

The Magician returned her smile from his place at the table, his arms crossed lightly in front of him. Birdie watched the green man walk to the hearth, who perched atop the highest log and bowed low to her before disappearing in a burst of green flame that consumed the wood and finally settled back on an orange color. Birdie clapped her hands appreciatively as she rose from her kneeling position.

"It was a marvelous trick!" She beamed at him, and Dragon was glad she could only see his mouth for his face had significantly reddened under her praise. "You are quite the Magician."

"Come on you two," Called Eriya's voice from the kitchen. "breakfast time!"

The five occupants sat around the same table they'd ate at last night, dining on toasted cinnamon-nut bread with jam and honey, hot coffee and cream, and pancakes.

"I have to leave for awhile this morning," Eriya said, taking a sip of coffee. "to pay taxes at the castle. Could you watch the building for me Birdie?"

Birdie nodded, Merle still gloating about the earlier bathroom experience at her side. "Of course, I didn't have any plans."

Eriya nodded, turning her attention to Dragon. "And you Mr. Dragon? What are your plans for the day?"

He finished the piece of bread he was working on before turning to her. "Well, I do have a chandelier to hang and afterwards I thought I'd return to the town square for a bit. I'm hoping the word of my performance got around and they'll be a few more faces today."

The woman nodded at this and continued eating. Dilly turned his attention to his mother. "I want to go to the castle too! Can I?"

Merle quickly exited her funk. "Me too! Can we?"

Eriya shrugged. "If you wish. I'm not going _inside_ the castle mind you, but to a building that's quite near there. You can see the outer courtyard through the gates."

"Ohhh a _courtyard_." Merle whispered, and Birdie wondered if she knew what a courtyard was anyways.

"So," Eriya said to Dragon once more. "will you be returning here after your show?"

All eyes glanced his way, and Birdie found herself holding her breath.

"I haven't decided." Was all he offered them.

Merle frowned into her juice. "Will you come back to say goodbye?"

"Yeah," Dilly mimicked. "You _have_ to say goodbye."

After a moment of consideration, Dragon nodded. "Yes, I will return to say goodbye."

Had he not been so involved in avoiding the children's watering eyes, he would've noticed Birdie's face fall with disappointment.

"Will you teach me how to breathe fire before you leave?" Dilly piped up earnestly.

"Hmmm…" He thought carefully, catching Eriya's quick look that told him 'If you teach my son to breathe fire I will dismember you limb from limb' and shook his head. "No, Dilly. I can't teach _anyone_ that trick. It's something you have to be born knowing. How about turning forks into spoons?"

Dilly's face darkened a moment, but nodded all the same. "Okay."

Birdie rose from her seat silently, carrying her dishes back to the kitchen. She could hear the others finishing breakfast, and Eriya leading Dragon down the stairs to the basement to show him the chandelier she wanted hung. Birdie took that opportunity to grab the remaining dishes from the table, the twins discussing the reasons why you couldn't light forks or spoons on fire in heated tones.

"Well you're more than welcome to stay, if you change your mind." She heard them coming from the stairs. "Now, come on Dilly, Merle. We have to get there before ten or I'll be forced into paying a late fee, that I assure you, we cannot afford." She turned gracefully, the twins following her out the door.


	5. The Chandelier and Silent Partings

**Chapter Five:**

The Chandelier and Silent Partings

Birdie was finishing the morning dishes with the conversation drifting in and out of her mind. Dragon was leaving. Of course, she hadn't really expected him to stay, hadn't even really expected him show up in the Inn to stay the night. Yet the thought of not seeing him again was now suddenly intolerable, and the fact that it was indeed, intolerable, troubled her greatly. _You've only known him for day! _She chided herself firmly. _What is wrong with you?!_

Unbeknownst to her, someone was watching her, noting the defeated look on her face as she set a cup on the rack to dry. Her movements were slow and heavy, her eyes drifting in and out of the chore with apathy.

"Are you afraid of heights?" Inquired a quiet voice from the kitchen door, shattering her thoughts. She turned her eyes to Dragon, who was leaning against the doorjamb in the same fashion he'd done the night before.

"Quite a random question." All evidence of what he'd seen now gone and replaced with a bright smile. "I suppose I'm not overly fond of them, why?"

"I've found myself in quite a predicament," He explained. "of exactly _how_ to hold up a chandelier and fasten it into the ceiling at the same time."

Birdie raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you find a way?"

He continued. "It depends on your disposition towards ladders, if you do decide to assist me."

The green eyed woman wiped her hands upon her apron, shooting him a sly grin. "You never _asked_ for my assistance."

"I knew I'd forgotten something." Dragon retorted, shaking his head at the ground. Birdie felt all her earlier, shattered thoughts melt away as she walked to him, smoothing out her white apron.

"I suppose I could lend a hand." She volunteered, walking out to the dining area where he'd already set up a wooden ladder in the very center area. Next to it lay a very large, very expensive looking chandelier. She stared up at the ceiling. "Well, what's the plan here?"

"I thought I'd lift it up there, and you could fix it to the ceiling." Dragon replied.

"I'll need some nails or screws or something…"

He was already holding out his open palms to her, six nails in one hand and a hammer in the other. She sighed, taking them from him, flushing at the contact of his gloved hands against hers. Quickly, she dropped the nails into one of her apron pockets and walked to the ladder, Dragon following her with a smirk. He held the ladder to steady it for her and at the second step up she paused to look down at him with a scowl.

"Don't..." Her voice quavered, and her cheeks lighting up. "Don't do anything that would make me think less of you!"

He frowned at that, confused before noticing her red dress once again. Dragon hastily returned his gaze to the wooden floor below. "I wouldn't _dream_ of it." He finally managed. _Actually,_ he thought, _I might dream of something like that._

Birdie continued up the ladder, and Dragon backed away from it to face the chandelier. He held out his hands over it, his lips drawn tight in concentration as he slowly raised his hands upward. The chandelier lifted off the ground, up through the air to Birdie who was now balancing carefully between the high ceiling and the top step, her heart pounding. Grabbing the long chain with her free hand, she found the end of it where a long metal strip waited with six small holes drilled along it's length, and pressed it firmly to the ceiling. With her other hand she found a nail from her pocket and after some careful maneuvering managed to pound it through the first hole and into the wooden ceiling. She was on the fourth nail when she dared to glance down at Dragon, who had both hands held up at the chandelier, his arms shaking slightly. A small bead of sweat fell down his chin to the floor. It was then that she finally stopped to consider how heavy the chandelier must be, and her brow furrowed in worry.

"Dragon-"

"Hurry." He begged her, and from the breathlessness of his voice she could see he was definitely struggling. Birdie quickly found the fifth nail, starting to care less about the height and more about the stressed Magician below. She pounded it in swiftly, finding the sixth one as fast as she could. She drove it in with an agility that astonished her and quickly dropped the hammer, her eyes racing back to him, his shaking arms still raised and head now downcast.

"That's enough!" She cried as the hammer hit the ground with a loud noise, Dragon's head snapping up at the sound, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the red glow of his eyes seeping through his inky hood. The chain on the chandelier went taught as he let go, causing the giant object to swing towards Birdie. Her first instinct was to let go of the ceiling and try to stop it, which she did with a swiftness that caused the ladder to shake beneath her. Her hand never touched the chandelier as the ladder fell out from under her small feet.

Dragon watched in horror as she gave a small cry, her small frame plummeting to the ground in slow motion. She heard him scream her name and closed her eyes, hearing quick footsteps and waiting for the impact that never came.

Instead, she felt sturdy arms under her legs, around her back. She heard a winded breath in her ear. She felt it upon her forehead. She opened her eyes. His mouth was parted, the small bit of his face she could see was lined with sweat. His eyes were no longer glowing. Birdie put the pieces together slowly, realizing he'd caught her, which should've been quite obvious at this point.

"Dragon…?" She whispered faintly, fearfully.

At the sound of her voice, his whole body started shaking and he slowly slumped to the floor with the girl still in his arms. She felt his grip on her tighten as he tried to control the quaking in every muscle, in every fiber. Even his mind was shuddering. Things around him dimmed, and he felt a cool hand upon the side of his face and let out an involuntary whimper.

"You're burning up!" Came Birdie's frantic voice and she struggled out of his strong grip and ran for the kitchen.

And this was the bad part about magic. The part when you exhaust all of _your_ resources and start draining strength from the things around you. Through the frenzied thoughts swimming around his brain, the one that berated him the most was how relieved he was that Birdie wasn't hurt. This thought was swept away quickly as his body began calling out for the strength to live again.

The air grew frigid as he drew in it's warmth.

The flowers on the tables wilted as he took their life.

The fire simply vanished.

Dragon tried desperately to even his breathing, to no avail, needing more strength. When Birdie reentered the room with a cold rag in her hand, she could see Dragon hunched over on the floor, still shaking against himself. She noted the cold air, the frost forming on the windows. She watched the flowers turning brown and curling in amongst themselves. She witnessed the fire turn an ominous black color before fading away. Things were turning grey everywhere she looked, and the colors seemed to melt into each other as they crawled towards the Magician on the ground. She dropped the towel, realizing it wouldn't do her any good now.

It was a truly terrifying sight to behold.

Yet, still she ran to him, her breath coming in white clouds as she fell to the floor in front of him and pushed him up to look at her. He quickly jerked away from her, his arms were wrapped around himself as he rocked on his knees, still trembling.

"Dragon!" She yelled. "Dragon, _look_ at me!"

He shook his head, not able to see her, not able to see anything now. He hated this. He abhorred the emptiness. "Go." He pleaded between clenched teeth. "_Go away_."

Birdie felt her strength seeping away from her slowly, knowing exactly what was happening. Quickly, before he could respond, she reached into his hood without pushing it back and placed a still warm hand on the back of his neck. He shook even harder, trying to back away from her as she guessed he would, finding he couldn't rid himself of her touch. She brought her other hand to his cheek, feeling the warmth of his sweat on her palm and it trickled over her fingers in small trails. She could feel her strength and will to live quickly fading.

Dragon bit his lip, he tasted blood. "Don't…don't touch me…"

"…s okay…" She murmured weakly in front of him, her hand turning white. "Don't…worry about it…"

Even though he couldn't see her face, he could still feel her smile. And strangely enough as he stared into the blackness all around him…he saw a color. A color that shouldn't have been there. It was a pink color, spherical and steadily glowing in front of him quietly, and for some reason it gave him comfort in the darkness that had swallowed him. He concentrated on this life-giving pink glow…and things started to slow down. His shaking subsided slowly, the blackness around him started to melt away along with the salmon colored aura, shapes begin to hover into view. If there'd been any other colors around, those would've returned to his sight as well, but it was still too early for that. He blinked a few times, disoriented and lost, the comforting pink light now gone. As Birdie's face came into view, he saw her colorless eyes close and open slowly, her mouth trying to form words that she was too weak to say.

A cold hand slid down his face, and he quickly caught it in his own. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder, steadying her swaying form and taking in a slow breath… started giving back all that he'd borrowed.

Flowers bloomed. The air warmed. The fire blazed into life. He watched the girl in front of him as strength was returned to her. And then the colors came spilling out from him like water, washing over the floor, the walls, the tables and chairs. Over the girl, highlighting her cheeks in a brilliant pink as she untangled her hand from the back of his neck and brought it back to herself tentatively. He released her other hand, his own dropping from her shoulder to the floor beside him.

Nothing was said. Minutes crawled by. Birdie finally sucked in a deep breath and looked around, everything appearing normal once more.

Dragon watched her shake her head, heard her small laugh. "Well, a magician in recovery was definitely_ not_ one of the things I thought I'd ever witness."

"You knew?" He replied with a frown, his hidden eyes searching her face in confusion. "How?"

Birdie nodded at him slowly, not meeting his eyes. "It's just…something I was told a long time ago, when I was learning a few tricks of my own. Simple ones; card tricks, disappearing objects and such. When I wanted to learn how to manipulate fire, I was told about the Law of Strength. You only have so much of your own, and that you can easily exhaust it if you misjudge the power a spell takes to cast. And, if you do, your body calls out for strength, and you take it out of the things surrounding you, as much as you used. Depending on how far you went with the spell, you can even kill the things around you." She paused thoughtfully, turning to him with a smile. "I guess that's why I quit… Of course, I didn't know you could give it all back afterwards! If I'd known that, I probably would've stuck to it."

The Magician let these words wash over him, not sure how to describe the feeling that set fire to his stomach and made his throat tighten. "You…you didn't know I could give your strength back?"

Her smile faded as she looked at him, realizing what she'd just done. Birdie stared at him like a deer caught in headlights, her green eyes huge and frightened. Her face turned white. She swallowed once. Twice. She said nothing.

He was no longer frowning at her, his lips now parted in disbelief. "…Why?"

She pointed at something near them and his eyes followed her shaking finger to the fallen ladder. "I just…" The girl breathed. "I don't know. I didn't think…I just…you know?"

Dragon paused a moment, recalling the way he hadn't thought twice about catching her. He'd just…done it. "Yes. I know." He quietly murmured, before turning back to her once more.

She fidgeted with her white apron, avoiding his gaze. "So…we're even then, right?"

Dragon nodded dumbly. "Yes. I'd say we're about square."

Birdie smiled again, looking up to the ceiling. "It _is _a rather nice chandelier."

The Magician turned his gaze to the no longer swinging cause of all their problems. He laughed. "Yes. I didn't think it'd be so heavy though. Perhaps I _am _getting scrawny."

"That's not true." Birdie said more quickly than she should have, recalling his strong arms around her, his fierce grip. "I-I mean…that things has to be at _least_ a few hundred pounds!"

He grinned at her then, reading her thoughts as he stood, offering her a hand up which she accepted with a blush.

The door make a small jingling sound, announcing the arrival of a customer and Birdie's face lit up at the sight of an old, elderly woman.

"Ms. Jenkins." She beamed at the woman, her hand leaving Dragon's and he stooped to collect the ladder.

"Oh, Pigeon, 'ello dear." The woman mumble feebly, as old women do. "'ow are ye?"

"I'm just fine, thank you." Birdie replied, stepping behind the counter and smiling at the confused frown Dragon made at the word 'Pigeon'. "And you?"

The woman cast a bitter look around. "I'm _freezing_. Why's it colder in 'ere then outside?"

The woman followed Birdie's gaze as she stared at the hooded man with the ladder. He gave her a culpable smile, and cocked his head to the side for a few seconds, and the temperature in the room rose considerably. Ms. Jenkins turned her beady, black eyes back to the girl.

"A wizard?!" She scoffed. "Why, what a splendid idea! 'bout time Eriya got some entertainment in this hovel. Maybe she can actually get some customers in this place. You there, wizard!"

Dragon smiled, setting the ladder down and giving her a low bow. "Yes, madam, how may I be of service to you?"

"You got a name?" She squinted at him with the beady eyes.

"Dragon the Magician."

Ms. Jenkins rolled her eyes, frowning back at Birdie. "Yer 'orrible, the whole lot of ye. Why can't ye all have _real _names, eh? Lizards and Pigeons and God only knows what else!" At that she pointed a finger at the girl behind the counter. "And ye-I bet ye 'ad a lovely name for ye had to go messin' it all up, eh? Didn' ye?"

Birdie brought a wrapped round loaf of bread to the counter and smiled sadly. "I suppose I did."

The old lady nodding knowing, turning her attention to Dragon as she dug in her handbag for a few coins. "An' ye! I bet ye' 'ad an absolutely 'orrible name, didn' ye?!" She pushed the coins across the counter to Birdie.

Dragon flinched. "Um, well no, not really-"

"Don' lie to me, Mr. Lizard! Ye musta 'ad a 'orrible name to change it to tha'. Lizard the Wizard_ indeed_…" Ms. Jenkins gave them both another frown before waving her hand at them, as if to say 'Why waste my time?' and left out the door with her bread, muttering unintelligible things to herself, as old ladies sometimes do.

Dragon shook his head and returned to the ladder, turning to the girl that was stashing the coins away in a box under the counter as he hoisted it on one shoulder. "You know, Pigeon, I honestly thought that _was _your real name."

She placed the box under the counter once more and looked up to him with a grin. "Well, I knew Lizard _wasn't_ yours."

"Why in the world would _you_ need to change your name?" Dragon questioned with a note of disbelief. _I shouldn't have asked her that, _he reprimanded himself quickly. _Not when I treasure my own privacy so much._

Birdie paused at the kitchen door, considering something before replying. "I guess…we're both running." She saw his mouth open slightly, but no words came out. Then something occurred to her. "Well-no, I've stopped running now. I'm hiding."

There was a moment of silence, and he finally said, "I never would've known."

Birdie flashed him a vivid smile, calling out as she disappeared around the corner. "Which is why I_ told_ you."

Dragon pondered this as he headed down the stairs to the basement, carrying the ladder over an arm. He had decided that some manual labor might be in order given he had just mentally exhausted himself not half an hour ago. He made his way down the rickety, spiraling brass staircase, the ladder's end making a _thump-thump-thump_ as he descended. _How could someone so innocent as Birdie be running too? How long has she been hiding, and from whom?_ His mind played over various scenarios, and he reached the bottom, setting the ladder next to an old, cracked kettle. Dragon's head tilted slightly to the left, as it usually did when he meditated upon things such as this. _Of course, its none of my business, which is why I won't press her for any answers. She has a right to her secrets, just as I have a right to mine. The fact that I'm running is something I would never share with anyone though…so why did she tell me?_

But deep inside, he knew the answer to that question. By telling him, she had placed them back on even playing grounds. He had clandestinely felt that the girl held some sort of leverage over him, but in telling him her secret, she had given him the same power over her. Willingly. Which could only lead him to believe that Birdie must _trust_ him to an extent.

Now as you might recall, Dragon had told himself earlier that there was a wide line between respect and trust, and only some can see it for what it is. As he trudged back up to the dining room, the thought he was mulling over was this: _If it is such a wide line, shouldn't it be harder to cross than that?_

Silently contemplating this, he paused at the kitchen door where he watched Birdie, her back to him, kneading a pale dough upon a smooth wooden board. Her golden-brown curls bounced against the back of her neck lightly, her sleeves pulled up to her elbows. _I don't want to trust anyone._ He decided heavily. _I'm not ready to end my journey just yet. I saved her, she saved me. I will keep her secret, she will keep mine…as she said, we are even. I must leave this place before I forget why I was running at all._

Dragon gave her one last look, engraving this image in his memory and headed noiselessly to the door. Waving a hand over the bell at the top, it made no sound as he opened the door and exited the building, closing it behind him lightly.


	6. A Lack of Curse Words and the Battle of

**Chapter Six:**

A Lack of Curse Words and the Battle of the Soup

The ship _Giselle_ had pulled into port early afternoon, and Birdie found her work cut out for her. There was no time to contemplate Dragon's silent departure as she found rooms for the sailors that came one right after another, prepared a hasty lunch for everyone, continued to take the few orders of customers that showed up and bussed the dirty tables with a gusto. She had just started preparing dinner when Eriya and the twins returned, a few parcels between them. Eriya looked around the dining room at the rough, burly men that sat at odd tables, some laughing loudly and others exchanging stories of their journeys. She pushed the bag she was carrying off onto Dilly, quickly removing her wide brimmed hat and jogging to the kitchen.

"Birdie!" Eriya cried as she entered it, grabbing a hot loaf of bread from the cooling rack and finding a bread knife. She donned on an apron. "I'm so sorry I was gone so long! I didn't know the _Giselle_ was coming in today!"

Birdie turned to her from the giant soup cauldron before her, stirring it with one hand while grabbing a handful of chopped carrots in the other. "Neither did I," She admitted quietly. "but don't worry about it. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Eriya raised an eyebrow at her as she found a heavy, white oval plate, arranging the slices of bread on it expertly. "Is something wrong?"

The green-eyed woman flinched. "N-no." She turned from Eriya and back to the soup with downcast eyes, biting her lip. "What took you so long?"

"_Dilly_." Was her one word answer. With a sigh she continued, grabbing another plate and started cutting more bread. "We needed more candles…I went to the candle store."

Birdie chuckled. She recalled the few times she'd taken him there, and Dilly's awed face as he stared, not at the colorful array of candles, but at all the burning flames that danced merrily upon their wicks. He had, as you might expect, been banned from possessing candles of any kind after a few incidents in which he had 'accidentally' set fire to books, clothes and one very unlucky feathered pillow.

"And here I thought_ I_ was the one who had the hard day." Birdie finally retorted, tasting the soup and giving it a satisfied nod before collecting some bowls from the cupboard above.

Small footsteps pounded into the kitchen, the women turned from their tasks momentarily to observe Merle looking frantic. "Mr. Dragon's gone!"

Dilly almost collided with her as he zoomed in right after, Giro's jar clutched tightly in his arms. "Mr. Dragon's not back yet!"

Eriya gave them a slight frown, returning to the bread. "He said he'd come back to say goodbye, didn't he? Don't fret about it-go wash your hands and pick us out an empty table for supper. I'm sure he'll come back before you're in bed."

This made both their faces give off a little hopeful glimmer and they left the room to do as they were told. Birdie started setting the bowls out on a brass serving tray, filling them with a red soup from a giant ladle. She paused in the task to look thoughtfully at Eriya.

"Do you really think he will?" Birdie quietly asked her, the empty ladle suspended between the cauldron and the serving tray.

Eriya stopped what she was doing to look up a Birdie. She examined the young girl's sullen face, a knowing look finally settling on her lips. "…Yes, I do."

"What makes you so sure?" Birdie continued, a bit of optimism entering her eyes.

The older woman shook her head with a smile, grabbing up the plates of bread and heading for the door. "Get that soup out here before it grows cold!" Eriya sang out, leaving Birdie with an empty space to scowl at.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Dragon gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath once more as he stood at the door of _The Escaflowne_. He'd been well out of the town, walking upon the wide beaten path that lead into the mountains when a pair of faces had suddenly sprung up in his mind, causing him to come to a sudden, jerky halt.

These faces belonged to Merle and Dilly.

And he remembered his promise to them, the promise of a goodbye. And alas, he found himself in possession of something that Eriya knew he had all along: A conscience.

So, he had bitterly, heavily, _very angrily _turned on his heel and walked back the way he'd came, muttering quite curses to himself the entire time, until he found himself standing in front of the entrance, yet not quite having the guts to enter.

"It's not going to open for you, lad." Came a man's amused chuckle from behind. Dragon turned slightly, a scowl on his face as he examined the man that had interrupted his malicious thoughts.

He was taller than the magician, and older, garbed in weighty tan robes and dark brown sandals. His skin was darker than his own, and he had long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and his brown eyes were smiling down at him through a pair of small, square spectacles perched on the end of his long nose.

Dragon probably would've cursed at him, had he not exhausted his bountiful supply of words on the road. Instead he continued frowning at him, just to show him how angry he really was, saying nothing. After a short pause, the brown haired man rolled his eyes and reached around him, opening the door.

He held out his hand, motioning for Dragon to enter before him. "There, not that hard. After you."

Another scowl. He really wished he could have his vocabulary back now, but went in anyways, casting a look around. The place was busy, much busier than he'd ever seen it. He quickly spotted the twins, Eriya and Birdie sitting down around an empty table by the stairs and swallowed.

"Mr. Dragon!" Yelled Merle from the table. Dilly's face lit up, and he watched as Birdie turned around to look in his direction. Her eyes grew wide and he wondered if she really missed him that much-

"Dryden!" She cried, jumping from the table and running towards…the man standing next to him. He let out a big, hearty laugh as she threw herself into his waiting arms, and he pressed a light kiss to her forehead before releasing her. "This is such a surprise!'

Dryden brushed his nails against his tan robes, flashing her a sly smile. "Oh Birdie, you know I'm just _full _of surprises."

Dragon felt his insides do an angry flip, finding himself imagining a scenario in which Dryden was on the floor, being introduced to his tightly balled fist. Unfortunately, Birdie had now turned her bright, sickeningly happy eyes to him, a small smile playing on her lips.

"And you…" She quietly beamed. "I'd just started to think you wouldn't show."

Dragon forced a smile. "Well, here I am."

Dryden gave him a playful nudge. "He _wouldn't _have shown had I not explained to him how the door worked. Standin' out there, looking at it like he'd rather chop his arm off then touch the damned handle."

More scenarios of Dryden's bloodied face plagued him as Birdie's smile faded. Sadness flickered across her eyes and she quickly turned to Dryden. "You must join us for dinner, it's been so long since we last spoke." And turning back to Dragon she added. "You too."

Dryden laughed, patting his stomach. "Oh, don't mind if I do! Eriya! You're looking as lovely as ever…" He walked over to the table, leaving Dragon and Birdie to stare at one another.

The Magician started to shake his head. "I don't intend to stay. I just came-"

"To say goodbye." She finished for him, examining his shoes with little enthusiasm.

"Yes." He confirmed.

Birdie watched the floor for a moment longer before turning her deep, ocean green eyes upon him. He swallowed once. "But you know, you _did _promise Dilly you'd show him how to turn forks into spoons."

Dragon continued to frown. "…Of course. I'd forgotten."

And then, to his great surprise, she reached out for his hand and grasping it firmly in her own, started to lead him to the table. Dragon was about to inform her that Dryden was probably going to frown upon this when Dilly stood up on his bench, holding up a fork in his tiny hand. "I'm ready!"

"Dilly, _sit down_ this second before you crack you head open or poke your eye out!" Eriya firmly reprimanded her son before turning to Dragon. "I love the chandelier! You did a magnificent job, Mr. Dragon."

He smiled at her, Birdie's small hand still lightly clutching his as they approached. "I admit I had a little help."

They parted ways, Dragon sitting down next to Dilly, and Birdie rejoining Merle, Dryden at the opposite end of the table of Eriya. Eriya had already fetched them both some food and the meal continued.

"Birdie," Dryden grinned, casting a look at Dragon who was busy explaining to Dilly that you really needed a fork _and_ a spoon for the trick. "You haven't introduced me to your friend."

The girl gave Dragon a small kick beneath the table and his face shot up to her questioningly. She grinned. "Introductions are in order." She explained to him, turning back to Dryden. "Dryden, this is Dragon the Magician. Dragon, this is Dryden Fassa, my…um…"

Dragon waited. "Uncle? Acquaintance? Older brother? Relative?" Dryden pondered out loud, waving his spoon at each suggestion. "How about very good friend?"

Birdie smiled. "Yes. My very good friend, Mr. Fassa."

Dragon felt a great wave of relief surge up in him, extending his hand towards the man with a grin. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Fassa." The shook hands, and Dryden clapped him hard on the back with a laugh.

"Mr. Fassa! Hah! That's good. How about we just stick to 'Dryden', eh?" He returned to his soup with a snicker. "So, you're her _Magician_ are you? What sort of tricks do you know?"

Birdie's face reddened at the implication but Dragon answered without skipping a beat. "A little of everything. Parlor tricks mostly."

"Well, don't leave me hanging!" Dryden cried, leaning towards him with an eager look. "Let's see some of this magic of yours."

"Oh, Dryden," Birdie cut in. "_really _now! Dragon, just ignore him."

And it appeared for all the world that that's exactly what he was doing, head down as he continued to eat his soup. Dryden gave a defeated sigh and lifted his spoon once more…and froze, mouth agape. Soon everyone's attention was upon Dryden's bowl, the twins bouncing up and down excitedly, Birdie with her mouth parted slightly in awe and Eriya watched, expressionless with her spoon frozen halfway to her lips. Dragon continued eating.

The red soup was rising slowly out of the bowl, looking for all the world like a tiny arm. The red slushy figure pressed an arm down upon the soup, seemingly lifting itself from the bowl, and stood, gazing around at the observers curiously. It was a knight-a tiny knight in soupy armor. The knight looked around for a moment, before hopping down to the table, leaving little red, soupy patches across it as he ran to Birdie's bowl.

The twins giggled in glee, Dryden gasped in wonder and at some point the room became silent. The knight placed his hands on the side of her bowl, peering down into the red liquid. Birdie gasped as another small, red, delicate hand rose from her soup, and the knight grabbed it devotedly, lifting the woman from the bowl. She was obviously a princess of some sort, wearing a crown and a red dress. The liquid lady worked her legs over the side of bowl, the knight helping her down. They embraced shortly before Merle clapped her hands in marvel as her own soup came to life, and the liquid people turned their attention there as well.

A long, scaly red neck emerged, two short arms following and the dragon finally climbed out of the bowl, all of Merle's soup leaving in the process. It opened its mouth, showing its red soupy teeth and the liquid princess hid her face in her hands. The knight cast a look around and picked up a round piece of bread from the dish in the center of the table, holding it up like a shield. The Magician reached for a breadstick, and as he brought it back the knight stopped him, taking hold of one end. Dragon scowled at the liquid knight in annoyance, laughter erupting around the table. The knight wrenched it from Dragon's grasp, pointing it up at him like a sword, and Dragon raised his hands in mock defeat before grabbing another breadstick and continuing his meal. Dilly was practically crying.

The knight ran back to the soup dragon and a fight ensued. They chased each other around the table, leaving red blotches of soup wherever they touched. Every time the knight landed a blow to the beast, red soup splattered. Eventually he cornered the dragon at Merle's bowl, and pressed forward until it climbed back inside, the last blow turning the dragon back into soup. The princess ran to the soup knight, and he dropped his shield and sword, embracing her once more. They danced back to a spot between Dryden and Birdie's soup bowls before the man bowed low to her, kissing her hand and they parted ways, climbing back to their respective bowls and melting back into soup.

Applause and cheers erupted around the room, Dragon finally looking up to see the sailors had been watching as well. Dryden clapped him on the back again.

"That was _some_ magic!" He laughed in marvel. "Absolutely brilliant!"

Eriya snorted. "_Some magic_, indeed! Look at the mess you've made Dragon!"

He looked away from the sailors that were now sitting down, back to the red splotched table. The Magician shot her an apologetic look as he waved a hand over the mess and it disappeared. He gave her sheepish smile. "Sorry Eriya."

"Teach me how to do _that_!" Dilly begged beside him.

Dragon shook his head. "No, your mother would behead me. Now, about that fork and spoon…"

As he went on to teach Dilly the fundamentals of the fork to spoon trick, Dryden turned to Birdie after taking a sip of his now lifeless soup. "I feel like a cannibal." He muttered.

Birdie laughed merrily, her face brightening. "It's your own fault for egging him on. Well, how's the trading business coming along?"

He waved a hand airily. "Oh, you know, boring as ever. Did you know they've started enforcing a shipping tax in Austria? Absolutely horrible. Soon everywhere will be doing the same. They might as well just suck my blood out and get it over with."

Dilly made his first attempt at the trick, and failed, frowning up a Dragon. "Keep at it." He encouraged. "You don't get any thing right without practice." The boy nodded, trying again.

"And what news from the world?" Birdie carefully asked, her insides unwillingly tightening.

"Well… Freid and Arzas are at it again." He muttered offhandedly. "Dukeing it out over some little trade route that passes through both their countries. Absolutely brilliant."

He paused, casting a look around before continuing. "Syrnia is still looking for their Princess. They've got half the kingdom on the market for the head of the kidnapper and her safe return."

"_Half the kingdom_?" Birdie squeaked. "That's…_that's ludicrous_!"

Dragon paused in middle of showing Dilly the trick again, something flickering in the back of his mind uneasily. Without turning to them he asked, "_Kidnapped_? When was she kidnapped?"

Her reply was calm and informative. "I heard they lost her about a year and a half ago. I figured they would've given up by now…"

Dragon looked uneasy for moment, then shook the feeling away and smiled. "Well it's really not that surprising."

Birdie turned her eyes to him with a frown. "It's not?"

"Nope. They say she is the most beautiful young woman in all of Gaia, the Princess of Syrnia. Her beauty is said to surpass even the Lady Millerna of Austria. Of course, I've never actually_ seen_ her to confirm these rumors, could just be some intoxicated, sailor's pub-rubbish." Dragon waved the spoon in his hand airily, Dilly scowling at him as he reached for it.

"Well, they're starting to think she might not have been _kidnapped_ at all." Dryden continued as though nothing was amiss. "I mean, evidence of the struggle are all there in her room, but Syrnia has found it bizarre and irritating that no ransoms have been brought to them."

"Perhaps someone was in love with her. I mean, if it's true it'd explain why no ransom has been offered. He's keeping her locked up in a dungeon, all to himself." Dragon offered casually, quietly. Dilly messed up the trick again. "Poor girl. I hope he isn't _too_ hideous. Ah-or perhaps she eloped? That would make sense."

Dryden frowned in Birdie's direction and she gave him a nod to continue. "Well, that's the funny thing." He continued. "She was supposed to be married to a young Prince, but neither of them_ knew_ about the arrangement. They wondered for awhile whether or not they'd somehow overheard someone speaking about it, and made plans to elope. But that idea was quickly trashed when they contacted the other kingdom for verification that their Prince was missing and found that he…well. That he had died two weeks prior to her disappearance."

Dryden grew quiet, seeing Birdie's face fall at the words. Dragon had forgotten Dilly, his attention fully upon Dryden as he frowned. "Died? That's horrible. I bet the old, repulsive kidnapper killed him out of sheer jealousy. What a ghastly tale, Dryden! Can't you see you're upsetting Birdie?"

Dryden smiled softly at the forest green eyes that were searching the table sadly. "Well, that's the way the tale's been told up until now, but I've found there's more to it."

Birdie looked up at him bleakly, Dragon's attention hovering over her strangely forlorn features. "What do you mean…?"

The brown haired man pushed his glasses further up his nose, concentrating upon her face with a seriousness. "He's_ not_ dead. The Kingdom has been conducting this search for over a year, looking for his remains or _evidence_ of a battle, all over the castle and the surrounding areas. Guess what they found? _Nothing_."

Dragon watched her face slowly digest this information before she whispered, "…Nothing?"

Dryden was grinning at her now. "Nothing, Little Bird."

Birdie slowly leaned back in her chair, a far away look in her glistening eyes. Dragon watched words form on her lips, quiet, disbelieving words. "…Nothing…" She turned her huge eyes back to Dryden, quickly leaning towards him, a hand raised to her lips. "_So he's alive?_!"

Dryden nodded once more before turning back to his soup, Dragon raking a confused look over Birdie before turning to Dryden and speaking. "I do believe she _fancies_ this Prince."

The brown haired man grinned at him, and the girl's cheeks lit up and she quickly shook her head. "No, I don't. I just…like happy endings I guess."

The Magician scoffed at her. "_Happy endings?_ The Princess of Syrnia got no happy ending. The Prince is a coward who probably ran away from his throne. The only one who _got _a happy ending was the aged, nasty kidnapper."

Birdie was up faster than he could blink, her hands pressed flat on the table as she glared down angrily into his surprised face. "The Prince is no coward! I'd rather he be a _contented coward_ than a _miserable King_!"

He could do nothing but gape up at her silently, her green eyes searing and full of life. Dryden gently placed a hand on her arm and the moment was broken as she quickly looked back to him, and seeing his stern look, slowly lowered into her seat again, her face burning at her outburst.

"I-I-I'm sorry I yelled." She hastily blurted, Dragon still staring at her with an open mouth.

"Y-you're _sure _you don't fancy him?" Dragon questioned, his voice disorientated and forgetting her apology.

"Yes, I'm _sure_." She replied without looking at him.

"You act as though you _know_ him-"

"I don't!" She retorted. "_Dryden?"_

Dryden frowned over at the Magician, jumping to her rescue. "I've known Birdie all her life, and if she had _any_ sort of relations with crowned heads, I would be the _first _to know. At least, I hope I would be. Let it go Dragon."

The boy nodded slowly, watching Birdie as she finished her soup, rose from the table taking her dishes with her, heading for the kitchen. "I think I upset her…"

Dryden chuckled. "We should change your name to Captain Obvious!" Then, leaning closer to him he whispered. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Personally, I too think she _fancies_ the Prince, but won't admit it for anything. Just another underprivileged girl in his neglected fan club, I imagine."

Dragon swallowed. Dryden laughed, which he did often, stacking his dishes. "Just let the poor girl dream, would you? And don't try to understand her, that'll get you _nowhere_."

"…Okay." The Magician nodded again, staring at crumb on the table.

Things slowed down for the night, the sailors heading up to bed. Eriya directed the twins up to bed as well after telling Dragon he was more than welcome to stay the night. He absently agreed, heading over to a bench by the fire. Dryden bid farewell to Birdie, who emerged from the kitchen looking positively optimistic.

He could hear the clanking of dishes as she finished cleaning up but they didn't really reach him. Staring into the flames unblinkingly, his mind pondered over the conversation once more.

He covered his face with his hands jadedly, her words rippling through him over and over again.

"_The Prince is no coward! I'd rather he be a contented coward than a miserable King!"_

He didn't turn as the quiet footsteps approached him, and Birdie wondered if he'd heard her or not. Dragon looked so forlorn, so miserable as he sat with his elbows on his knees, face buried in his hands.

"…I really am sorry I yelled at you."

He gave a start of surprise, turning to see the girl standing with her hands behind her back, her lips drawn in a pout. He shook his head with a dispirited laugh. "No, I'm not angry with you Birdie."

She walked around the table and sat down next to him, folding her hands in her lap softly. "Then what's wrong?"

His gaze wandered back to the fire. "Just thinking…about the past."

"Don't." She supplied, the flames dancing in her eyes.

Dragon cast his gaze in her direction, watching the light play with her hair, her eyes, her lips. Something dark and sad flitted across her face before she returned his stare, never able to see his eyes. "We can't change it. We can't go back. But we _can_ regret it…and that's not something you want to be focusing on if you're hoping for a better future."

"…I suppose." He finally replied after a moment.

"Speaking of the future…" Birdie suddenly remembered and fished in her pocket, bringing out a small leather satchel. Unbinding the cord, she took his hand in hers gently, and dumped the coins into his palm.

He paused a moment to look at them in confusion, her hand still resting under his. "For your performance tonight."

Dragon shook his head, taking her hand in his own and trying to hand them back. "No, Birdie…"

"It's not from me!" She insisted, pushing the coins back to him. "It's from the sailors, they loved your magic. They were going to give it to you themselves, but you looked all gloom and doom over here so they gave them to me instead."

He continued to stare at her, swallowing as he tried to think of something to say, but found himself speechless at the sight of her pink lips drawn in a soft smile at him, her leaf-green eyes glittering in the fire's light. _She's in love with a Prince._

"You know," Birdie started again, quieter than before. "You could stop running, at least for awhile. Try hiding…?"

Dragon tore his gaze from her lips to her eyes, silently thanking God that she couldn't see his actions. Struggling for a response of some kind, he finally managed a, "Here…?"

Her jovial laugh wafted through the warm air. "Yes,_ here_, you ninny! Everyone wants you to stay-"

"Do you?" He quickly interjected, seeing her tense at the question, her face lighting up.

"I said_ everyone_, didn't I?" Birdie replied quietly, tucking away a stray strand of gold hair behind her ear as she continued. "The building needs so many repairs, there would be no shortage of work for you. That'd cover your room and board. Eriya _wants _you to stay. And you would never need to worry about money because you could perform for the guests during meals."

Dragon turned back to the fire, staring hard at the jumping light. _Stay here? How…? How could I stay anywhere now?_

"How…how do you not regret the past?" He inquired quietly without turning to her.

Birdie glanced down to her folded hands. "I never said I _didn't_. I just said it's better to not focus on it, or you'll have no time for the future. But, if you want to know my secret…I try to think of all the good things I have _now_. I remember what I felt the day I made my decision, I remember why I had to make it. And then I realize…if I _could _go back, I wouldn't have changed a thing. So I can't stay sad about it."

Dragon's mind wandered over the past once more, racing through towns, across plains, through forests, colors flashing by in a torrential blur…until he found himself staring into the crimson eye of his fate altering counterpart. _Would I have changed it?_ The scarlet, rapacious eye waited, unblinking as it reflected his younger self. He swallowed slowly, calmly. _No._

"Dragon…?" Came a soft voice next to him, bringing him back to present time.

"You're right." He breathed, turning to the confused, worried girl beside him. "I wouldn't have changed a thing. I think…I will try hiding for awhile."

Her smile washed over him warmly, washed away the haunting past, washed away his doubts and hesitation. "I'm glad. Then…I will see you in the morning." She stood and started walking away. "Goodnight, Dragon."

"Goodnight, Birdie."


	7. A Noble Invitation and the Bouquet of Un

**Chapter Seven:**

A Noble Invitation and the Bouquet of Unfortunate Flowers

The next two weeks passed quickly, Dragon falling into his new lifestyle with a simplicity that surprised him. In the morning he woke to the frantic bathroom-mirror-rush, and if Birdie wasn't around to handle the situation he assumed the role of peacemaker, making the two children draw straws (which for some reason _always_ let the one who didn't get to be first last time, be first that day.) Afterwards he would find Birdie in the dining room, setting up for breakfast and Eriya making trips between the kitchen and the table laden with food.

Birdie had decided that it was now his responsibility to light the fire in the hearth since the day she'd wasted her four matches, and that was the first thing he did when he came down. Breakfast was an affair of going over plans for the day: Birdie almost always stuck around _The Escaflowne, _unless she'd decided to make a trip to the market to pick up flour or beans. The only time Eriya wasn't helping at the Inn was when she went into town to pay bills or pick up small necessities. The twins' plans changed everyday, sometimes hanging around the Inn to bother Dragon and Birdie, other times going out and bothering the townsfolk. Though no one bothered to ask him, Giro really had no plans.

Dragon, just as Birdie had told him the night he'd made his decision to stay, got stuck doing odd jobs around the building. And there were a _lot_ of odd jobs to be done. He spent quite a bit of time fixing the creaky stairs, tearing up and refitting loose, cracked boards. The railing had to be refinished, as well as the dining room floor, which took the better part of a week as he sanded it down manually, buffed it, and finally used some magic to brighten the wood and make it shine. At evening meals he would perform various tricks and conjure entertaining illusions for the ever-growing crowd that came flocking to _The Escaflowne._ With the pay he received, the Magician made a few trips to the market and returned with new oddities that brightened the building and its inhabitants: a full-length mirror for the second floor hallway, new dark blue draperies for the long bay windows in the dining room, and wrapped hard-candies for the twins (which he gave to them without telling Eriya).

At night, he would retire to his room, exhausted but satisfied with the day. He had discovered that hiding wasn't so bad, he found it was almost refreshing. _Almost._ You see, the fact that it _was_ refreshing absolutely startled the Magician. It baffled him. It bothered him. It left him laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling in fear. And just as he started to doubt his hastily made decision to start over-as if it _knew_ he was distraught and in need of solace…the music would come.

The beautiful, melodic sound of Birdie's voice would rise through the night, singing softly to him words that wafted through the wall above, cutting through his reservations, forcing him to focus on the future. His future here with her. Her song was always different, always unlike the one he'd first heard so many nights ago, which was the one he wanted to hear.

But it didn't matter to him so much what she sang to him about, all of her words brought him peace. Her words took him places far away, deep into silent forests, high up into the drifting clouds, back across oceans that rippled so gently, to rivers that sang as sweetly as she. She spoke of flowers, and life, and all the wonderful smells that accompany springtime. She told him about trees, and laughter, and of all the sounds that rain makes as it falls in a quietly swaying field of green grass. She sang of beautiful, good, blissful things.

Never about quiet, snowy gardens or towering walls that held no doors, reaching up into the sky.

Birdie did not sing for him, the saddest song ever to be sung.

Of course, he still debated whether or not she was singing for him or not. Every night, just as he would be falling asleep, the music still wafting warmly around him, the Magician would tell himself to ask her about it in the morning. He would ask her why she sang, who she sang for, and why always about the beautiful flowers and trees and good things, and never about the silent garden.

And he told himself this _every night_ because in the morning he would find her smiling happily at him, her forest-green eyes glowing warmly and he would lose his questions to the amity that rested on her face. He exchanged his questions for ones about the weather, last night's evening rush of customers, their plans for the day.

And that was how the two weeks passed by for the five residents of _The Escaflowne_. It could definitely be labeled as a very good, a very happy, a very blissful two weeks. And because things had been going so very_ right_ for Birdie, something would soon have to go very _wrong_. At least, that was the way she saw it: everything was in balance with the other, the good and bad, the light and dark, the right and the wrong.

That morning, after Eriya had bid farewell to the sailors that had stayed for breakfast, Birdie disappeared with this thought plaguing her, to the kitchen to start in on the dishes while waiting for the loaves of sourdough she had just kneaded to rise. As Eriya sat at the chair behind the front counter counting last night's earnings and humming a low, happy tune to herself, Dragon kneeled on the opposite side of it, stripping away at the splintered wood coverings.

He sneezed, throwing the thin, fractured panel to the side. "Eriya, how long has it been since you last got any repairs done here anyways?"

She gave a soft laugh. "Actually Dragon, you're the first repair man I've ever had in here. Well…you can't really count the chimney sweeper, can you?"

The Magician rubbed his watering eyes through his hood, frowning. "No, I suppose you can't. God, there's a lot of dust in here." He sneezed again as he stood, walking over to the wall he'd lain the new, heavy, brightly polished and intricately carved wood panel on, carrying it back over to the counter with ease.

Eriya paused in her task, examining the piece once more, as she'd done several times since he'd brought it back from the carpenter's the last morning. It showed a great, winged dragon, soaring over a brilliant red sun and was painted with bright vegetable dyes. '_The Escaflowne_' was painstakingly carved across the top in deep, blue letters. She'd known it must've cost him a fortune, but he'd shrugged it off as though it was of no importance. "Dragon, I still can't believe how beautiful it is." She breathed. "…What made you choose that particular design?"

The Magician smiled at her as he fitted it to the front of the counter and steadied it with one hand, waving the other at a hammer and nails that floated to his waiting grip lightly. "Hmm," He said around the nail in the corner of his mouth. "I like dragons. We get along quite well."

"Oh really!" She frowned at him, her eyes smiling all the same. "_No one_ gets along well with dragons. But still, it's such an attractive theme for the Inn, thank you so much."

He fitted a nail through the round hole at the top, shaking his head. "And as I have said before, many, many times, you are quite welcome. So you can stop thanking me!"

Eriya grinned, leaning back into her chair just as the door jingled to inform the arrival of a customer. "Oh, Mr. Schzar!" she gasped, quickly standing.

At the sound of the name, Dragon faltered while bringing the hammer down, missing the nail and hitting his thumb in the process. He let out a quiet curse, bringing his thumb to his mouth and turned his concealed eyes to the man Birdie seemed to loathe, and after a quick examination decided he abhorred him as well.

The man was taller than himself, with an unlined, smooth face and bright, cerulean eyes. His long blond hair went down to the middle of his back, and he was dressed in very fashionable, clean blue pants, knee-high black leather boots and a crisp, white, freshly pressed dress shirt. In his hands he held a bouquet of flowers, lilies and daffodils.

Dragon rolled his eyes, returning to his task, throbbing thumb and all. _Yes, he does look like a prat. _He snickered, remembering Birdie's description of him. _A noble prat._ Despite this calm opinion of the blond noble, he felt something rise in him angrily at the thought of_ anyone_ giving Birdie flowers. Confused by this sudden surge of malice towards the man, he shook his head slightly and went back to driving the nail in the rest of the way.

Allen beamed at Eriya after casting a confused frown at the robed man on the floor. "Is Birdie here today, is she well?"

Eriya nodded, turning to head for the kitchen. "You're in luck, Mr. Schzar! Stay here while I fetch her."

Eriya headed back to the kitchen and found the green eyed woman standing stoic next to the sink, a look of dread welling up all over her face. The widow cast her stern look.

"Allen's here, but I'm guessing you know that." Eriya whispered as she approached. "I told him you'd be right out."

Birdie grimaced, whispering back in an panicky voice. "C-couldn't you tell him I was gone? That I'm sick? _That I died?!"_

"I told him you were sick the _last time _he showed up!" Eriya growled low. "That's why he hasn't been by in _two weeks_, you half-wit! Now, you will do well to be polite to him, and if he asks you out, _you will go_!"

She started pushing the terrified woman towards the entrance, and before she knew it she was at the kitchen door hastily trying to collect herself. "H-hello, Mr. Schzar. What a surprise this is!"

Allen walked past the man on the floor (who considered tripping him on his way by, but instead found another nail) and to the uneasy woman. He held out the flowers to her, and she gingerly took them.

"Birdie," The flaxen haired man said lightly. "How many times must I ask that you call me Allen?"

"Um, at least once more Mr. Schzar." Birdie said with a blush. "And what brings you to our humble Inn today?"

Allen smiled down at her. "Well, I wanted to make sure you were feeling alright, for starters. I heard you were terribly sick, and have been worried day in and out about your health. Forgive me for not stopping in to see you in so long, but Eriya told me you needed your rest."

Dragon watched her swallow once, casting a look to the ground. "O-oh yes. Well, it was quite a nasty cold, but I'm fine now. There was no need for you to worry yourself so."

Allen shook his head. "How could I not, knowing you were suffering? But alas, I must be quite forward with you I'm afraid."

Dragon gritted his teeth so hard his jaw started to throb. Birdie's grip on the bouquet tightened. "F-forward, Mr. Schzar?"

He gently reached for one of her hands, and Dragon's blood started to course madly through his veins. The girl blushed at Allen, not because she was enamored with the man, but because she knew Dragon was probably watching the whole spectacle.

"Birdie," Allen wore on, locking his blue eyes with hers. "I would like you to attend with me, a masked ball tomorrow's eve, at the Palace of Briel. I simply cannot abide the thought of any other at my side but you…" At this he got down on one knee, and Dragon felt his grip on the hammer tighten dangerously. "Would you do me the honor, Lady Birdie, of accompanying me to this masquerade?"

The Magician watched her mouth open, then close, and open again. "Um, I-well I mean, this is so _sudden_…"

She could practically _see _his heart breaking before her eyes. "Do you have plans already? Are you not free?" He frantically asked, searching her bewildered face with his fearful blue orbs.

And then Eriya cut in. "Oh, Birdie _never_ has plans! She would be _delighted_ to go with you, Mr. Schzar! Just look at how speechless you've left her!"

Birdie floundered for an excuse, any excuse to get out of this mess now that Eriya'd completely corrupted the 'I'm busy' argument. "I-I don't have anything to wear!"

Allen smiled warmly. "I will send you a gown. A green one to match your eyes."

"But I don't have any slippers-" She argued.

"And the finest slippers as well." He retorted gently.

"Allen-I'm a disgraceful girl of the slums!" Birdie cried desperately, and Dragon's mind dished out bloodied images of Allen's hammer-beaten cranium. "A scullery maid, a bread baker, a drudge, _a nobody_!!!"

"You…are beautiful." Allen whispered, which Birdie could've slapped him for saying had she not been so flustered. He stood then, both of his hands now cupped around her quivering own. "Let us forget that you are a scullery maid, and that I am a nobleman for one night only…I beg of you, don't deny me this honor."

Silence gripped the room. Eriya waited, her eyes huge. Allen waited, gripping her hand tightly. Birdie waited, her mind utter devoid of any more excuses. Dragon waited, in his mind he was leaving the mangled corpse of Allen Schzar in a dark alley to rot…

"A-alright." Birdie finally uttered, and Dragon stomped on Allen's lifeless face, just for good measure. "…I will go with you."

"Splendid!" Allen practically jumped for joy, his face a nice copy of a child's on Christmas Day. "Wonderful! I will send the carriage to pick you up here at seven. I promise you won't regret it, Birdie!"

Birdie, finally over the shock of what she'd just agreed to managed to snatch her hand back. "Oh, I don't doubt it."

Allen was so giddy he almost tripped over Dragon on the way out, which made him stop to consider what in the world he was doing there. Turning back to Eriya, he frowned suspiciously. "A handy man?"

Dragon snorted, finally standing to face the man. He could see Allen blanch under the stare he knew Dragon was giving him, yet couldn't see. Birdie quickly walked forward and Allen's eyes darkened. "This is Dragon, the Magician. He's staying here with us, helping to fix the place up."

Allen raised a suspicious eyebrow at him. "A relative?"

"A friend." Birdie quickly supplied, and Allen relaxed somewhat. Dragon flinched at the words. _A friend._ He thought, recalling she had never given their odd relationship a label before. After another moment of thought, he knew it was a correct label. He enjoyed her company, enjoyed being around her, listening to her speak, hearing her songs. They hung out together, went to the market a few times together. They joked around. _Why had I been so angry with this man then? …Because Birdie **is **my friend, and I don't like to see her hurt or uncomfortable. But how do I know she'll get hurt? Maybe she'll have the time of her life. Maybe she'll run away with him, on that white horse Dilly spoke of. Maybe-_

A sharp nudge to the ribs brought him back and he saw Birdie scowling at him, and Allen's hand still extended for a (quite delayed, mind you) handshake. Dragon quickly shook his hand, getting a hold of himself. At the same time in his vivid imagination, he found Allen's twitching body, handed him a band-aid and gave him a 'let bygones by bygones' speech before kicking him in the ass and sending him on his merry way.

"Birdie has spoken very kindly of you, Mr. Schzar." Dragon finally offered, and this seemed to brighten the blond man's mood considerably.

"Well, that's good to know, Dragon the Magician. Glad to see this place getting fixed up and all." He released his hand and cast one more smile at Birdie before disappearing out the door.

As soon as he was gone from sight, Birdie threw the flowers to the ground angrily before crushing them under her foot. Dragon jumped back a little and Eriya let out a mournful cry for the flowers that no one was going to miss besides her. Birdie's eyes glittered dangerously at the sound, whirling on Eriya with rage. "How…How_ could_ you?!" She cried. "You know I hate the man!!!"

Eriya flinched under her stare. "I-I just thought…that you should give him a chance was all, Birdie. He could very well be you only escape from this place."

The girl's head dropped, slowly shaking her head. Dragon balled his fists, resisting the urge to reach out to comfort her. When Birdie spoke again, her words were quiet and hurt. "You don't understand, Eriya." Then she looked up, her green eyes watering. "I don't _want_ to escape this place! I don't _want_ gowns and slippers and masquerades! I don't _want _to lead a rich, pampered life! I_ want_ to stay here with you, and the twins! Do you _want _me to leave?!"

Eriya's face fell at the words, her own eyes starting to water. "No…No, of course I don't Birdie. I'm so sorry…I didn't know you felt that way…"

Birdie stared at the woman a moment longer before blowing a long sigh and calming herself. She headed back for the kitchen, stopping to hug Eriya on the way. "_I'm _sorry. I should've made it abundantly clear from the beginning, I guess."

Dragon swallowed, not sure what to do with himself, so he went back to put the finishing touches on the mural. Eriya shook her head, releasing the girl and making her look in her eyes. "I feel horrible about this, Birdie. I've forced you to go to a masked ball with a man you despise…"

Birdie gave a small laugh. "Well, hopefully I'll break my leg later, that'd give me a good reason not to go. Not that I'd really _enjoy_ breaking my leg…but it might be worth it. Oh, don't worry about it Eriya! I'm sure it won't be all that bad…just promise me you won't make me see him again afterwards."

"I promise!" Eriya breathed. "I swear it! I vow to the moon and the stars-"

"Okay, okay!" Birdie laughed happily, her glittery laugh. The laugh Dragon liked best. "I believe you! Right…I'm going to go occupy myself with some menial task to distract me from this impending night of doom."

She left the room, and Dragon stood back to admire his work. It looked quite nice, and would've said so, if Eriya hadn't beat him to it before the whole atrocious Allen Schzar ordeal. Instead, his shielded eyes washed over it quietly, reminding himself of why he'd really requested the dragon and the blood-red sun. This was the choice he'd made, and he would not regret it, because he wouldn't change it even if he could. Birdie had taught him that.

"I don't know how I figured her so wrong…" Eriya sadly said as she returned to her chair once more. Dragon leaned against the counter, arms folded as he watched the people go to and fro outside.

"What made you assume she wanted those things?" The Magician quietly asked.

Eriya frowned a little, looking back to the kitchen door to make sure they were alone. After casting a quick glance around, she continued in a hushed tone. "The first time I saw her was through the bakery window, looking at the bread I'd just put out to cool. Her face was hollow and bruised. Looked like she'd been starving for months. And it looked like she'd been beaten. Her clothes were in tatters… Birdie looked so wretched, so desolate…the only thing alive about her was her eyes. They were bright, and quick and full of life. Of course, I took her in. I thought…coming from a place as horrible as she must've come from, that she would dream of living a nice, grandiose lifestyle. I was wrong."

Dragon digested this slowly, his stomach not handling the task well. _Birdie…starved…beaten. _Anger flared up inside him, making him grit his teeth, his hands balling into fists. He was still trying to fathom how the words 'Birdie' and 'wretched' could exist in the same sentence. _I could never tell. She holds no unpleasantness in her, no bitterness at all. I would've never known, she looks so happy, so healthy. Who would want to hurt a girl like Birdie? _He really wanted to know, so he could try out that hammer scenario he'd originally planned for Allen.

"It's because she never said a thing." Eriya whispered sadly. "I asked her if she had a place to stay, and the only thing she said was, 'I've flown away.' She didn't say anything else to anyone for months. Wouldn't tell me her name. Eventually, I named her Bird given the few words she'd spoken to me, which the twins changed to Birdie. By the time she finally started speaking, I'd forgotten all the questions I had wanted to ask her. You couldn't tell anymore that she'd at one point been starving and abused. I can only see it as some freakish nightmare today, she's so happy now, so carefree."

The boy continued to watch the people outside in silence. _"I've flown away._" He tried his hardest imagine these words coming from an emaciated face, a black and blue face that somehow had Birdie's voice and couldn't accomplish it.

"Dragon?" Eriya whispered behind him, and he finally turned from the window to examine her worried look. "Don't…don't tell Birdie I told you. We never speak about it. The _twins_ don't even mention it."

He nodded, the inky hood waving slightly at the gesture. "I wouldn't, even if you hadn't asked."

She went back to counting the coins with a heavy sigh, her mind reliving sullen, hushed days that he couldn't even begin to envisage. To complete the disquieting atmosphere that Allen Schzar and the story of Birdie had brought to _The Escaflowne_, the sky opened up to release a downpour that deluged the streets. Dragon wandered to a table near one of the water-streaked bay windows, his eyes not taking in the people scurrying about, trying to escape the big, heavy drops of water that rained from the sky. He stared straight through them, through the buildings, through the city, through the rain, through everything to place far beyond…

It was a white place. A beautiful place. A clean place.

He envisioned taking his friend Birdie there with him, where he was sure she belonged.


	8. A Magical Ballroom Dance

**Chapter Eight:**

A Magical Ballroom Dance

The messenger arrived around noon, laden with two meticulously wrapped boxes and a sealed envelope addressed to Birdie. She accepted them with a grim smile, carrying them up to her room without a word, returning with the envelop lightly clutched in her hand.

"Well, is it a nice dress or not?" Eriya called from the window she was wiping down.

Birdie sat at an empty table, the same table Dragon happened to be currently sanding down. "I don't know, I didn't look at it." She admitted, carefully opening the letter. Thankfully she found it wasn't a letter at all, but an invitation that she'd need to get into the castle. Frowning at the rectangular ticket, she laid it dismissively on the table and Dragon stopped scratching away.

"Can I look at it?" He queried before she gave an absent nod. The Magician reached out for it, and looked at the front and back, studied it carefully. He closed his eyes to picture it in his mind, and opening them studied the paper again. Satisfied, he set it back down. "Looks real to me."

She snorted. "You think he'd send me a fake one?"

"No," Dragon teased. "I imagine that's just wishful thinking on your part."

Leaf-green eyes reached out to him, a gentle laugh floated from her. "Yes, yes it was."

Dilly peered out from under the table, a piece of sandpaper in his small hand. "You don't _have_ to go, Birdie."

The girl rolled her eyes before, to Dragon's surprise, sliding under the table with Dilly. He listened to their whispered conversation below.

"Yes, I _do _have to go. It would be like asking that cute girl you like down the street to go buy candy with you, and her never showing up to meet you. Same thing."

Dilly gripped the sandpaper tightly, his red eyes growing wide. "I do _not_ like Celena!" He whispered defensively. "I don't like _any_ girls…erhm, except you Birdie. You're okay I guess. And Celena would _never _ditch me if I _did _ask her to meet me at the candy stand. Which I_ haven't_."

"I see." The girl replied evenly. "Still, I can't just 'ditch' Allen. How would you feel if Celena _did_ ditch you at the candy stand? Not that she would of course, but indulge me."

"…Indulge?"

"_Treat me_, Sir Dilly, with your answer. How would you feel?"

The silver-haired boy avoided her eyes and went back to sanding. "Sad, I guess. But! But this is different!" He retorted.

"Oh, how so?" She inquired, scratching away at the wood with her nail.

The child shook his head, wood dust falling from his hair. He sneezed before continuing. "Because I don't _hate _Celena, and you _hate _Allen. You said so. You said _loathe_."

"Despite how much I _do_ hate him, I cannot just break his noble heart." She admitted with a frown. "And I thought you said you didn't like Celena?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "_Not liking _someone and _hating _someone are two, very different things Birdie." He told her in his most grown up voice.

Dragon chuckled from above and Birdie quickly banged the table above her. "This is a _private_ conversation Mr. Dragon, thank you very much!" He could hear the amusement in her tone and continued sanding.

She turned back to Dilly who seemed to be contemplating something. He glanced above and then motioned for Birdie to come closer. She did, and he whispered, "Why can't Dragon take you? You don't hate him."

Birdie frowned at this before whispering back teasingly, lowering her tone carefully so he wouldn't overhear. "Allen didn't invite him…and even if he _was_ invited he _wouldn't_ go, because he _can't dance_."

"Oh." Dilly said sadly. "That's too bad."

Even if the two weren't under the table, they still wouldn't be able to see the devious light in Dragon's eyes as he brushed away some accumulated wood dust from the table top.

It was times like these (which didn't really come often) that Birdie wished for her long hair again. She had finally decided to leave it down which was really the only thing she _could_ do with it that didn't look ridiculous. She gave herself a once over in the mirror again.

Now as you might've guessed, a masquerade is a masked ball in which the participators dress up as different animals and objects, trying to make themselves as least noticeable to their friends (and enemies) and most noticeable to their friends (and enemies), at the same time. Birdie didn't have to worry about being the least noticeable person there because she had no friends (or enemies) at this masked ball. Indeed, she would be the least noticeable person there. In fact, not one person there will stop to think to themselves, 'My, isn't that the bread-girl from the slums?' None. In fact, I can guarantee it right now.

What they_ will_ stop and think will be much worse, _much_ more perilous,_ much_ more petrifying and will leave Birdie wishing they_ were_ thinking to themselves the above phrase that I just guaranteed you they, most certainly, would _not_ be thinking of.

But this is not relevant to the moment we find ourselves in now, which happens to be the one in where the girl was trying desperately to straighten the wings on her back. Yes, wings. _Leave it to Allen to come up with something like this. _She thought with a sigh, fidgeting with the white wings that were inconspicuously fastened to the back of her smooth, ocean green dress. _Birdie the Bird._

The gown, she had to admit, was absolutely gorgeous. What she found extremely _creepy_ was that Allen seemed to know her measurements, for it fitted perfectly. It left her shoulders bare, it's long billowing green sleeves stopping just below her fingertips. They were split at the elbow, leaving them swaying down gracefully as she again fidgeted with her slightly curled golden-brown tendrils that she had scattered little clip-on diamond accessories around in, making it seem as though they hung in her hair without trying. The silky yet slightly puffed out dress went down past her feet, brushing the floor and covering the elegant, matching green slippers Allen had picked out. When she was done fidgeting with her hair (which she _didn't _do often), she fidgeted with the thin, silver chain around her neck that held a single, pink, tear shaped stone that rested lightly against her collarbone (which she _did_ do often).

She was nervous, and she couldn't come up with a good reason for it. She _did _hate Allen. She liked dancing…? But she _still _hated Allen. Sighing she glanced at the clock on the wall. Ten minutes. Ten minutes and the doomed night would be set in motion. Allen would be there. Growling under her breath, she stared in the mirror at the silver mask that she wore, the adhesive on the opposite side making her want to scrunch her face up in annoyance. She had even put on make up. _When was the last time I wore makeup?_ Frowning at the answer she found waiting, she turned from the bathroom, walking slowly down the stairs.

"Here she comes! Here she comes!" Cried Merle's energized voice.

She glided down the last step, turning to the three people, waiting for their inspection. Eriya gasped. Merle started jumping. Dilly's mouth dropped open before saying, "You're an angel!"

"I think I'm supposed to be a bird." She smiled at the boy as she walked to him. "But an angel will do, I suppose. So, it doesn't look bad?" The girl turned a quick circle to show them everything.

She caught the tears welling up in Eriya's eyes. "Oh Birdie, you're so stunning! You really _do_ look like an angel."

The girl gave her a grin which quickly turned into a frown as her eyes searched the room. "…Where's Dragon?"

Merle unblinkingly answered. "He left a little while ago."

Birdie tried to hide her disappointment. "That's too bad…I kind of wanted him to see me all gussied up. Oh well."

There was no more time to ponder his disappearance as the door opened to reveal Allen, dressed almost in full armor, except his face which was covered in a very armor-esq mask. _My knight in shining armor._ She tasted something sour in her mouth. Allen gave her a once-over, which reminded her of an old lady she'd seen in the market who'd been eyeing a bloodied piece of meat on a hook at the butcher's. She shuddered.

"You look…absolutely stunning, Birdie." He said breathlessly.

"Why thank you," She managed. "Shall we?'

He offered her his arm and she reluctantly grabbed it, waving goodbye to everyone and leaving _The Escaflowne_ to enter a carriage parked out front. Her mind grinded into mush when she saw it was being pulled by two white horses. Allen opened the door, and she got in, but not without catching Dilly's 'I told you he had a white horse' look from the bay window. Frowning at this, the carriage took off.

The castle was lit up gloriously, orange-tinted hanging lanterns lighting the path that Allen lead an unphased Birdie down, finally arriving at the ballroom entrance where an armored Briel soldier asked for their invitations. Birdie handed hers over to Allen so he could be a gentleman and present it for her. He did so, and the soldier waved them past.

Allen had a light hand upon the one she was holding the crook of his elbow with, making her head throb in annoyance as she tried to examine her surroundings. It was a huge room, with the biggest chandelier she had ever laid eyes on. There were tall arched windows that let her catch a glimpse of the newly risen moon, and the few stars that had started to show. And _everywhere_ there were lights-more hanging lights, the chandelier's light, the candle lights on the tables. The room was alive with people, all of them beautiful, extravagant, very snooty upper-class members of society.

Her stomach did an uncomfortable turn. Allen led her to an empty table, far in the back of room away from everyone else, pulling out a chair for her to sit, which she did gratefully.

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked her softly through the din.

She nodded dumbly and he left her, heading to the long table that held refreshments. She took in the peaceful moment to listen to the music the band was playing. It had been a long time since she'd last heard music that was played so beautifully, and she found herself closing her eyes to draw it in even more.

"Did you miss me?" Allen's voice came shattering her quiet reverie, holding a thin, long stemmed champagne glass out to her.

_No, I abhor you._ "Um, of course…I was just thinking of how lovely the music is."

Allen nodded knowingly, looking out to the large floor where a large group of costumed people were dancing in very conformist circles. He turned back to her, "Would you like to-"

"I though we could talk for bit." She quickly supplied, inwardly cringing at the thought of his arm around her waist, her body that close to his. Taking a long swig of the champagne, she continued. "It's just come to my attention that I really don't know that much about you, Mr. Schzar."

"Well…" He started politely. "What would you like to know?"

And that was how the next hour and half drew on, Allen talking, her listening (well, pretending to anyways). Whenever he tried to steer the conversation towards her she carefully changed the subject and found a topic he could fill another twenty minute gap with. After an excruciatingly long explanation of how much he just _loved_ fencing, he finally stopped to ask her if she would care for another drink which she quickly told him, yes she would.

She watched him leave for the second time, once again closing her eyes to draw in the music. Birdie let it wash over her in rolling harmonious waves, letting everything else disappear. She let all other noises disappear first, then the room, then the people, then the lights. Everything melted away and it was just her and the composition that ran around her, over her, through her. She let time disappear.

Which was probably the reason she didn't notice that twenty minutes had passed by and Allen had not yet returned. She didn't care to look for him, she didn't care to open her eyes. And if Birdie hadn't forgotten to block out smells too, she most likely would've kept them closed until the whole party was over. But she had forgotten, and realized it as her mind suddenly threw her into the middle of green, grassy field. Her eyes opened to see if it was real.

She would've given a small jump of surprise at the man she found sitting across from her where Allen should've been, if she hadn't been so intoxicated with the green field smell that was coming from him. His elbows rested upon the table lightly, his hands folded and resting against his lips as he continued to watch her with heedful, cinnamon colored eyes. He had raven black hair that covered his forehead, a few tousled and wild-looking locks reaching past the simple black mask he wore over his eyes, the space around them painted black, leaving nothing but that rusty red color for her to look into. The intruder that she was starting to find very handsome, was dressed in a simple black suit, with a long black cape covering his shoulders and falling down to his feet.

Birdie swallowed, her face heating up as she continued to stare, unblinking lest he disappear. For a long while neither said anything, the man watching her with the same soft, reverent eyes, and Birdie finding herself quickly lost in them, unsure if she wanted a way out just yet. His eyes…what _was_ it about his _eyes_?

"Hello." She finally breathed, still unmoving.

His soft smile never faltered. "Hello." Came his deep, utterly silky voice that Birdie found only slightly familiar.

Another lengthy, focused moment ensued. Birdie was practically drowning in the scent of the open fields all around her. She would've told him so, but she was still wandering around in his eyes, and unlike most times when she looked at people in the eyes, she wasn't delving or searching. She was just wandering, further and further in.

"Would you like to dance?" He carefully suggested, in that same smooth, cavernous tone.

"Yes." She admitted truthfully. "Yes, I would like that very much."

He stood and walked around the table to her, offering his black gloved hand, which she took with a willingness that astounded her. Birdie let out a small gasp of sheer wonder, realizing this mysterious man was quite real, his hand really _was_ warmly gripping hers. She allowed herself to blink. He shot her a confused, questioning look and she felt her cheeks heat up even more.

"I-I thought…" She faltered, returning her gaze to his hand. "I thought you might not be real…"

He smiled at her, a low laugh escaping his extremely ideal mouth as he lead her to the dance floor. Had her attention not been solely on the dark stranger in front of her, she might have noticed that the crowd had parted for them, eyes wandering over the two figures that seemed to demand their awareness.

The music came to her again, a song striking up as he turned her to face him. Birdie found she had no reservations about his strong hand on her hip, and found her own trailing up to his broad shoulder. She watched his tranquil face as he took up her other hand, entwining her fingers in his own.

Normally, when you're dancing with another to such a lively song, you'd have to check for signals to see what the next move is, or if you're a really horrible dancer, you must watch your partner's feet to be sure you don't end up stumbling over them like a fool.

This wasn't the case with this man and woman as they circled the room with an ease that caused others to cease their own, seemingly inexperienced steps to stare in awe. What drew their attention to them the most, was not the perfectly executed twists and turns, forwards and backs, ups and downs. It was the way they were looking at each other. It was a look that let everyone else know that to this particular couple, they did not exist. And they were right.

Birdie couldn't tear her eyes away from his, her mouth still parted in the wonder of it all. Every part of her seemed to scream out, _I know you! I know you!_ but she knew she didn't know this man at all. She would've remembered such a faultless man, wouldn't she? Still wandering around in his deep chocolate gaze, she was remotely aware of the identical expression he was giving her. As though he had gone on a journey of his own, through the lush forests of her hazy jade-colored eyes, the mere thought of having this angel in his grasp causing his own lips to part in marvel. No, the crowd was not there. Nothing was there but a delicately spinning, melding world of green and brown.

As the music came to a slow close, the two stopped spinning, breathless, yet not from the quick movements they'd made around the ballroom floor. Neither spoke. The crowd had started to whisper things that didn't reach their ears.

And just as Birdie dared to start searching his emotion-riddled eyes for an answer to who this man could be, where he was from, his favorite color, _any detail_ for her to grab onto and cherish with all her being-a sudden cry rent the air.

"It's the Princess! The Lost Princess of Syrnia-Princess Hitomi!"

He knew she was searching, he _wanted_ her to search him…to find him. To know him. But it was all lost at the accusation called out from the sea of people around them. He saw her green eyes grow wide with shock, with fear, with the truth.

_This angelic being in his arms **was** the Lost Princess. The Princess Hitomi of Syrnia._

She couldn't think-not of anything now. She couldn't think with the crowd's whispers becoming louder. Couldn't think with this ideal man in front of her. Couldn't think with his eyes looking at her with that utter disbelief. Her mouth parted to try and form words, not for the crowd, but for him. For the stranger who smelled so much like fields of grass.

Not a sound emerged.

He watched her lips as they tried, tried to tell him something. He alone held witness to the many emotions that ran over her face that moment: panic, disbelief, pain, anger, want, need…regret. And with an urge he couldn't withstand, he wrapped his strong arms around her and crushed her delicate frame against his. She heard his unfathomable, smooth voice breathe into her ear, speaking a word she'd never thought he'd say:

"Run."

He released her. For a moment longer, they stared at one another. And then she did as he'd told her, not knowing how she was going to escape the castle, the people, the guards. Birdie didn't think about how though, she just followed his instruction, feeling that she could trust his suggestion with all her being as she picked up her skirts and dashed through the crowd that made no attempt to stop her.

They cast frozen looks of confusion at her as she passed them, no one raising a finger. Still she ran, past the befuddled guard at the door, who she'd so long ago let Allen give her ticket to. She ran out the door, through the castle gates and past the waiting carriages, perplexed stares all around, but everyone inert.

She dashed down the empty streets, passing through the upper class houses, down through the market. The girl ran so fast she wondered for a brief moment whether the wings on her back had come to life and were making her fly. Her lungs burned. Her legs cried out for mercy. _Run._ She kept going, his voice echoing in her mind that was startlingly devoid of any other thought. She obliged, legs pumping, breath coming in ragged gasps as she plunged on through the slums.

Birdie reached the door of _The Escaflowne_, opening it quickly and closing it behind her, and then…stopped. She stopped. There was no where else to run to. The girl slowly, painfully slid down against the wall, her eyes still wide with shock. And then, having no other thoughts besides the fact that her small world was crashing down around her and there was nothing left for her at all, she broke down into quiet sobs.

She cried for her stupidity.

She cried for the man she would never see again, the man who allowed her to run from him.

She cried for the want of the green fields, the bright lights, and the exquisite music.

She cried because it was the best night of her life.

She cried because it was also the worst.

She cried so intently, so long and low that she didn't hear anything but her quiet sobs. She didn't hear the light footsteps come down the stairs, didn't hear them come close.

"I've never seen an angel cry." Came a very hushed, very familiar, very sad voice.

Birdie looked up, Dragon kneeling in front of her with a pained smile upon his lips, his inky blue cloak shielding his equally indignant eyes.

"I assure you, Little Bird, it is the saddest thing I've ever seen." He said even quieter, the truth of this confession making her gaze turn soft and disorientated. She paused, slowly reaching up to her face and removing the silver mask. It clattered lifelessly from her hands to the floor. The Magician saw the pain in the girl's eyes, saw the tears, the confusion, the sense of hopelessness. He saw the defeat glistening victoriously.

"Dragon…" She whimpered with all the fragility of her crumbling world. And suddenly, she had thrown herself at him, wrapping her trembling arms around his neck as she sobbed into his chest. He drew her close to him, his arms wrapping around her quaking frame protectively. And they stayed like this for a long time, Birdie's quiet sobs slowly subsiding, and Dragon's grip on her never lessening.

They didn't move until the girl tried to explain herself. And when she did, her voice was full of pain and want and despair for all the things she'd lost to a single, miraculous dance. "I…I have to run…"

And no sooner than the words had left her quivering lips, Dragon picked her up effortlessly in his arms, one under her legs, one around her shoulders and he started heading for the stairs. Cradling her still distraught form to his body, he shook his head.

"No, Birdie." He quietly offered. "You don't need to run anymore."

Up, up, up the stairs he carried her, the girl shaking her head. "No, Dragon I have to…they'll find me. They'll find me and-"

He paused at the bottom of the second set of stairs to look down at her face with a seriousness that silenced her. "No one is going to find you. I won't _let_ them find you. You're safe, I promise you."

And as she stared up at him, something amazing happened. She really, _truly_ believed him. Dragon would protect her. He would keep her secrets. He would keep her safe. And even more amazing…she forgot about the mysterious man at the dance, that had captivated her so easily. She forgot the spinning, melting feeling as their eyes wandered through each other. She forgot about how handsome she'd found him.

And she saw Dragon.

And though she couldn't see his face, he knew right then from the look in her ocean-green eyes that she _saw _him. His mind turned utterly blank, basking in her gaze.

"Let me sleep in your room tonight." She quietly said, forcing him back reality.

It took him a moment to find words for her, and when he did, the one he'd picked wasn't as eloquent as he'd have liked. "W-what?"

The tears were there and gone at the same time, and a light, glittering laugh washed over him, through him. "Protect me, you tactless Wizard."

He stood as still as any statue you've ever seen, trying to make sense of her request. He bit his lower lip, considering this for only a few seconds, then turned to his room that was behind them. He opened the door with his magic, pushing it shut with his foot and laid her down on his bed. She scooted over, close to the wall and he laid down next to her, folding his arms behind his head as he always did, and stared up at the ceiling.

A silence rent the still air. An unfamiliar silence. Yet, it didn't bother him as much as it should've and wondered why. He turned on his side to stare at Birdie, her eyes closed and head resting on one arm under her.

"…Did you truly not enjoy yourself?" He asked while focusing on her relaxed form.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she was quiet for awhile. Dragon could see emotions flicker across her face, could see her gaze observe his visage that she couldn't perceive as she recalled the events. She finally offered him a smile.

"Actually…it was quite magical." The girl breathed, closing her eyes once more.

He smiled at her response and let the silence come again.

"Dragon?"

"Hm?"

She didn't open her eyes, but swallowed. "…I'm afraid. They're going to find me. I just know it…"

He gave a light chuckle. "I told you I wouldn't let them-"

"You never even asked me who _them_ was!" She interrupted, her eyes now open and full of confusion. "How can you protect me when you don't know what you're protecting me from?"

The Magician didn't move. "Birdie, I said I would let _no one_ find you. I didn't lie to you. I don't need to know _who_ I'm protecting you from…I'm protecting you from _everyone_."

Slowly, she laid back down, her cheeks growing red at his response. "Why?" Her quiet voice drifted to him.

Dragon smiled. "Because you're my friend."

Her face softened as she returned his smile. "No, I meant to ask why you _didn't ask_ who _they_ were. Or what happened at the dance that set me on edge. Aren't you even a little curious?"

"Nope."

"Not even a little?" She said disbelievingly.

"Not even a little." He laughed. "And if I'd known you were going to keep me up all night, I probably wouldn't have let you in here."

"…Sorry." She muttered, her face lighting up again as she made herself comfortable once more.

In the quiet of the darkness in the room, the two strange figures lay motionless while facing each other on the small mattress, each pouring through their own jumbled thoughts. In their last moments of consciousness, both occupants found it strange that despite the night's dreadfully distorted events…they really had no difficulty falling asleep.


	9. The Noble’s Heart is Broken and a Breakf

**Chapter Nine:**

The Noble's Heart is Broken and a Breakfast Confession

Dragon awoke slowly, the dim light filtering through the window telling him that dawn had just broke. And then he noticed a feint, even breathing by his ear, and something holding snugly onto his left arm. He turned his head in confusion, his hazy dreams giving way to the reality of the girl that had found her way into his bed last night.

Birdie looked as serene as he'd ever seen her, eyes closed and lips parted, her golden locks spilling over the pillow they were sharing. She had both of her arms wrapped tightly around one of his, holding it close to her chest as she slept on. The first light of the morning sun came up slowly as he continued to watch her, its red glow running over her clip-on wings that were now ruffled from the night before and her emerald dress wrinkled. He couldn't help but to smile.

The moment was lost as the sounds of two children pounding down the stairs made her eyes quickly flutter open, the same look of confusion he'd had earlier now passing over her as she looked at Dragon. His face now impassive, she couldn't tell if he was awake or not with his head turned towards her on the feathered pillow. She found the events of the earlier night coming back to her quickly, but instead of the terror she'd figured would be there she found herself relaxing as she let her gaze wander over his shrouded face.

'_I won'tlet them find you.'_

_It hasn't been that long since I last saw his face…why can't I remember it at all?_ She thought with a small frown._ It was so quick-so hurried. I don't remember much, besides that he wasn't scarred or disfigured and that there was no good reason to hide his face. And then…I found he was running. Why did everything have to be so dark when I looked at him? Why were there no colors to recall? I'd like just once…to see him…_

Her hand left his arm that she was still clutching, and she very slowly, very carefully reached for his hood. Dragon saw what she was doing and a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach sprang to life, his heart beat picked up. Her eyes were on him. His eyes were on her. Her fingers brushed the edge of the soft material, and he heard her stop breathing.

_It's not the same…_

Dragon saw the look of regret flash across her lips as they tightened, and she brought her hand back to his arm once more. It took all of his effort not to blow a sigh of relief, but at the same time he was confused as to why she didn't go through with it. He felt her untangling her arms from his and sitting up.

"Good morning." He finally said in his most tired tone.

She turned back to him quickly, her face showing how tense she was as she eyed him suspiciously. "Good morning, Dragon." Her face reddened. "H-how long have you been awake?"

He gave her a sleepy grin, slowly sitting up as well. "Five seconds…why?"

She shook her head. "No reason!" She caroled as she rose from the bed. The girl cast a forlorn look at the window. "I think I may have slept in…"

He chortled. "Yes, I believe you have. And if I might add, you look a fright."

Birdie chanced a look down at her wrinkly gown and frowned. "I hope my face isn't as bad…" She brought a delicate hand to a spot under her eyes. "I can still feel that darn adhesive from the mask…"

The Magician rose from the bed, walking towards the door. He lay a hand on the handle and turned to her. "To the shower with you, oh Crumpled Angel-I'll tell Eriya that you'll be late to breakfast."

Birdie nodded once and he went to turn the handle, but she reached out and tugged on his long sleeve. Turning to her again he saw an anxious look cross her face. "If someone comes for me today-"

"No one is going to come." He firmly replied.

"But-"

Dragon's hand left the handle and went to her shoulder. "Birdie-no one will come. I promise you. Not today."

She blinked and then lowered her gaze to the ground. After a moment she looked up at him through her eyelashes, her lips drawn down in a pout that made his blood heat up. "You seems so sure."

"I _am _sure. Positive. No doubt about it." He laughed and opened the door, motioning for her to go. "I suggest you hurry before you're spotted. Who knows _what_ they'd think."

Dragon watched her face pale slightly before turning a deep red and hurried from his room without a backward glance, up the stairs. Shaking his head at this, he headed downstairs where he took note of the twins sitting at an empty table, a few other early risers that had rented rooms sitting around and chatting casually. He went immediately to the hearth and magicked up some fire for everyone and returned to the table the twins were at, Eriya running out of the kitchen with a pitcher of hot coffee and balancing a tray of white mugs in her other hand.

"Dragon!" She cried. "Where in the world is Birdie?! I'm so behind on breakfast, and nothing's been done yet!"

The knowing man strode over to her and took the pitcher and cups from her. "Birdie slept in. She told me to tell you she was going to freshen up, and then be down for breakfast. I would be more than happy to help you in her place."

Eriya raked a relieved look over him before running back to the kitchen. "I owe you one Dragon! Do you know what to do with that coffee?"

He shot her a scowl that she didn't see because she'd disappeared. He walked around to the tables with the overnight guests and without actually touching the cups or pitcher served them coffee and entertainment at the same time. He earned a few extra coins for his antics.

Birdie finally came running down the stairs, joining the other four who had already started their late breakfast with a sheepish look on her face. Despite the fact she'd shirked her morning duties, Eriya was beaming at her.

"How was it?" She eagerly leaned in across the table, the twin's watching Birdie as she grabbed a piece of buttermilk toast, examining the excited looks all around with a frown.

She grabbed a jar of strawberry jam, trying to open the lid while she replied. "It was…well, quite lovely for a bit…dang it, why won't this open? I got to dance once…grr…"

Dragon held out his hand for the jar and she tried one more time before giving up and handing it over to him. Eriya grinned. "Is Allen a good dancer?"

The man gave the jar a quick twist and it opened readily in his grasp, and handed it back to her while taking a drink of his coffee. Birdie shot him a grin and took it, setting the lid next to her plate before turning back to the widow. "Thank you. Um, what Eriya?"

The flaxen haired woman rolled her eyes. "I asked you if Allen was a good dancer or not."

"I don't know." The girl replied with a frown, dipping a knife into the jam. "He kind of ditched me at a table after telling me he was going to get me something to drink. Not that I cared, mind you."

Dilly took a big bite of jam covered toast, smearing his face with the red sticky substance in the process. "Then who did you dance with?" He inquired around the toast.

Birdie gave him a sharp glare. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

Eriya seemed indifferent that her son was forgetting his manners, her attention fully upon the girl who seemed to be ignoring the question at hand. "Who _did_ you dance with, Birdie?"

After a long moment of thought and a bite of toast, she swallowed. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?!" Merle spat accusingly.

Birdie frowned down at her. "Easy. It was a _masked ball_ and I _didn't ask_ for his name."

Eriya had forgotten her breakfast. "Well?! What was he like? Was he handsome? Could he dance? What did he look like? C'mon, Birdie, _details_ if you please."

Dragon observed her hand with the toast slowly lower to the table, her jade eyes becoming far away and hazy. When she continued, it was as though she wasn't really speaking to them so much as herself. "He…he had dark hair. And cinnamon colored eyes…we danced, but I don't really recall much of it because…" She dropped off for a moment, reliving the dance once more, before quietly adding, "…he smelled like green fields of grass…wide open green fields, that went on forever and ever…on and on…I…I want to see a place like that…just once…"

Her eyes had become utterly distant as she sat unmoving in her silent reverie. It took a moment for how completely still the table had become to dawn on her. Her eyes snapped back to reality and she quickly cast an alarmed look around to see everyone had paused in their separate eating tasks to stare at her unblinkingly. Dilly had his toast pressed to his face, but hadn't bitten down. Merle had a fork halfway to her open mouth. Eriya had stopped eating a while back, and just stared with her eyes huge. Dragon looked like he would really like to drink his coffee, but couldn't remember how the function of moving his arm upward to bring the cup to his lips had went.

Birdie's face went bright red, and she brought a hand to her lips before casting her eyes downward at her plate. Eriya broke the stillness with a long, dreamy sigh. "Oh, Birdie! It sounds so_ romantic_! So…so perfect!"

Merle hadn't noticed that the egg on her fork had slid off sometime ago. "Are you ever going to see him again?"

The young woman had remembered how to breathe, and let out a long breath before grabbing her juice, her face starting to return to its natural shade. "No. Probably not. I don't need masked, mystifying…incredibly _handsome_…_anybodies_ to make my little world go round! Nope. I've decided I'm quite fine, thank you."

"Oh," Eriya frowned. "Did you leave him with _nothing_? A handkerchief? A pin from your hair? A kiss? Your name at least?"

Birdie's eyes grew dark. "Oh, I left him with _a name _alright…damn it all."

"And here I thought you had thoroughly loathed the whole fiasco." Dragon finally supplied from across her, his tone warm with mirth. "Then I find you've been dancing away the night with some incredibly _handsome_ stranger…a very _nice_ smelling stranger."

"It-it wasn't as nice as you think!" She quickly supplied. "And it's not like I didn't offer to tell you what happened!"

He was smiling at her, enjoying her embarrassment. "But he _did_ smell nice?"

She leaned back a little to frown at him, her eyes dancing mischievously when she realized he wasn't being sore about it. "Yes. His scent should be _bottled _and _sold_ as far as I'm concerned. Which I'm _not_, because I will _never_ see him again. So there." She stuck her tongue out at him and he blanched.

"Well, I still think it's romantic." Eriya supplied. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself though. I wonder what happened to Allen…?"

Birdie scowled. "Yes…it was quite strange. Not that I cared, again. Perhaps it was his plan all along…to make a fool of me or something. No, that doesn't make sense. It's just _weird._ Here he wanted me to go so badly with him, and he just ditches me? I wonder if he'll want that dress back?"

Eriya finished off her coffee. "Well, if I know Allen Schzar, which I think I do by now, he will be by today to explain his actions in a very uncomfortable, straightforward manner."

The green eyed bread girl grinned deviously. "Yes, and even though I'm not raw with him over leaving me, I will_ definitely_ make him think otherwise, thoroughly crushing any hopes he may have in that bleach-blond head of his about making any further engagements with me."

Birdie spent the rest of the day looking nervously out the windows and flinching every time the door jingled. She tried to stick solely to the back of the kitchen, but there were intervals in the day where she had no choice but to take over the front. Dragon noticed this as he sanded down another table, knowing she was expecting some dark figure to pop out of the woodwork and engulf her. He shook his head with a sad frown. _Why can't she just take my word for it?_

In fact, when Allen did arrive, she looked so happy that he wasn't whomever else she was expecting that she even greeted him with a smile, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be absolutely livid with the distraught looking man.

"Hello, Allen!" She beamed. "How are you today?"

The nobleman flinched, but quickly donned on a mask of confusion. "N-not well, Birdie. I am a fool. An honest fool, I assure you, but a fool none the less."

Her gaze darkened, suddenly remembering her breakfast vow. "Well, I can assure you that you are indeed a fool. Do you care to explain your chivalrous actions?"

Another flinch. He sighed, raking a hand through his uncombed blond locks, Birdie noticing that he looked worse for wear. As though he'd spent all night at a pub and decided not to go home, and saunter up to greet her instead. "I-I didn't mean to leave you." He stuttered, uncomfortable on so many different levels that Birdie found it hard to keep track of them all. "I went to get you a drink, I remember that…and then…well. It becomes sort of _confusing_."

She turned her back at him, gathering some dirty dishes from an empty table. "_You_ were confused? I suppose that makes me _baffled_."

"I swear! I don't know what happened!" He spilled out to her. "I know I was supposed to get you a drink, but when I walked over there everything became fuzzy…choppy, disoriented-like. I…" He frowned sheepishly before continuing. "I awoke in an alleyway outside the castle at dawn. I don't even remember how I got there, Birdie! I swear it! I swear it on my family's honor!"

She raised an eyebrow at him, kept up the scowl. "You'd swear on you family's honor that you were drunk?"

Dragon snickered softly as the man continued. "No, no! I wasn't drunk, I swear it. I had just as much to drink as you did, Birdie. Please, you must forgive me!"

The girl quickly shook her head, the dishes still in her arms. "No, Allen. What you did to me was so insulting, so _degrading_, so…so_ low_! I cannot forgive you, in fact, I do not wish to see you at all. Ever._ Ever_ again."

He paled. "I-I-I…"

She stamped her foot down. "What? Do you want that _damned _dress back now?! Is _that_ why you're still here?"

Allen swallowed hard and quickly shook his head, muttering some more apologies before he made a dash for the door. As it slammed shut, both Birdie and Dragon burst out in laughter.

"Did you see his face…?" She cried, setting down the dishes. " 'I-I-I..' Oh my…"

"I think you tore his noble heart into little itty bits, Birdie." Dragon laughed. "That was brilliant! 'Do you want that _damned _dress back now?!'"

They laughed some more until Eriya came down the stairs, shooting a puzzled look at them both. Birdie finally calmed herself and took the dishes back up. "Allen came by." She explained, leaving back to the kitchen.

Eriya brow furrowed in worry, and she addressed Dragon. "Did she break his heart then?"

The Magician snickered as he started sanding again. " 'Break' is far too gentle a word, Eriya my dear. Ripped open, splayed, danced all over it...a better choice."

The woman paled a little, and Dragon grinned at her. "She got to keep the dress?" He added optimistically, hoping to brighten her mood.

She gave him a snort before heading back up the stairs. "You're just as bad as she is."

The next week were the most uncomfortable week that Birdie had ever experienced. Even though Dragon constantly reminded her that things were going to be fine and that he wouldn't let anyone find her, she just couldn't let herself fully relax.

She knew that it had to be bothering him that she wouldn't take his word for it, because he seemed to be growing more and more secluded everyday. And if it _wasn't_ the fact she was having trouble trusting in his vow to protect her, then it was definitely _something else _that she couldn't fathom.

He would blank out in the middle of their conversations, would pause in the middle of his tasks for minutes upon end without moving. When she'd brought up his strange mannerisms to him, he would scowl at her a moment before telling her he was fine, and when she wouldn't buy it, he would insist he just had a lot on his mind. Of course, when she inquired what he could possibly have on his mind that caused him to act so remote, he ignored her completely. The long silences between them made her heart ache.

She assured him that she trusted him, told him not to worry. The Magician would smile and tell her he was thankful for her confidence, but to her dismay, this changed nothing about his odd behavior.

The fact that she had caught a few rumors about that dreadfully marvelous night did nothing to calm her nerves either, sometimes coming from the ever increasing customers as they chatted over their meals, and other times from her increasingly less frequent visits to the market. The girl couldn't help but to be confused as she eavesdropped on these conversations, which were usually something like this:

"So, did you hear about the masquerade a bit back?"

"Oh yes, I did. Now that's some news!"

"Do you think it was really her…?"

"Eh…her _who_?"

"Um…I'm not quite sure… What were we talking about?"

"I have no idea. But I'm very sure you started it."

"Well…strange. The weather's quite nice today, isn't it?"

"Oh yes. Absolutely _pleasant_."


	10. A Weary Wizard and The Fist Fight

**Chapter Ten:**

A Weary Wizard and The Fist Fight

He tossed and turned on the small mattress, unable to find a position that would give him rest. It had been three long weeks since the last time he'd heard her sing, three long, restless weeks. The last time he'd been able to get a decent night's rest was the night of that 'accursed ball', as she now referred to it. It wasn't that he wasn't tired… he was exhausted.

As the weeks had progressed, Dragon found he was feeling ever more thin, bordering between fatigue and madness. _How much longer can I keep this up?_ He would ask himself at least twice a day, before catching a look at his green-eyed friend and forgetting it. Faceless voices plagued him incessantly, day in and out. And the one face he did see no longer gave him comfort, always aware of the concern that was swimming around in her green depths.

Birdie had noticed his weariness, unable to find a good answer for it. She watched him secretly as he went about the day, using less and less of his magic. He would light the fire in the morning manually, wouldn't levitate objects anymore, would cringe when the sailors demanded entertainment. He carried dishes back to the kitchen by hand, performed all the tasks Eriya listed off physically. She was sure that if she could see his eyes, there would be big, black circles under them. He smiled less and less. His words were fewer every day.

The only way she knew how to reach out to him was to lay a hand on his weary shoulder when he would sit down at one of the tables, which he did more and more often. She would feel her strength ebb away, just a fraction of what he'd taken the day that they'd hung the chandelier. And it was all she could offer him, all she could do. Sometimes, he would lay a black gloved hand over hers, and offer her a faint smile before getting up to finish whatever task he'd been at.

When she would go to sleep at night, she would be so worried about what was really happening to him that she could think of nothing else. Things weren't as they used to be, and she continued to get the haunting suspicion that it was all her fault. She tried to force her mind away from the plaguing images of what would happen to her friend if he didn't get some serious rest… And then she decided that she would confront him about it tomorrow, in a way he couldn't avoid, which as you might imagine, he had been doing all along.

_The Escaflowne_ had a full house tonight, just as it had for the last month. Eriya was busily manning the front desk, Birdie was running food and drinks out to the somewhat rowdy sailors, and the twins were bussing the dirty tables. Dragon stood upon a table near the fire, his usual spot, performing tricks that required no magic, like turning forks into spoons (which Dilly had finally mastered).

It had been so busy that day, Birdie had no time to talk to Dragon like she'd planned. She ran from table to table, distributing coffee, warm ale, and a variety of breads, inwardly chiding Dragon for being up and entertaining when he looked so worn.

A big, burly man waved at her from a table near the stairs. "More ale!"

She frowned at the three men, knowing they'd already had enough to drink but nodded all the same and returned to Eriya. Birdie scowled as she returned from the kitchen with three glasses filled with the amber liquid. "I loathe you for expanding our menu."

Eriya shot her grin. "You know I had to, with all the customers we're getting now. I was getting so many complaints about having just soup and bread-oh, sorry sir, here's your change. Thank you for coming!"

The green eyed girl rolled her eyes and headed towards the men, balancing the tray in one hand. She set the three glasses down and turned to leave and felt a strong hand on her wrist. She turned to see the big, drunk, hairy man grinning up at her, noticing his few missing teeth. Her stomach flipped.

"C'mon, sweetie, why don't you keep us company?" He offered, the other two breaking up into laughter at the suggestion.

"Oi-Magician! Where you goin'!?" Someone called out.

She tried to wrench her wrist from his grip, but found it impossible. "No, _thank you_. This isn't a pub sir. If you will release me-"

He growled and threw his other arm around her waist, drawing her shocked body down to his ear. "Aw-don't be like that! We just wanna have some fun!"

She could smell the alcohol on his breath and felt her body start shaking. "L-let me go!"

There was a flash of silver that whirled in front of her panicked eyes and the whole Inn went dead silent. Birdie looked up, past the long, blue-hilted, glittering sword that was pointed at the sailor's jugular and saw Dragon hovering over her, a stern frown on his lips.

When he spoke, his voice was low and dangerous and she knew he had no reservations about committing a murder that night. "You will do as she asks you. Release her."

She felt the man's arms open slowly and she jumped from him, running to Dragon and laying a hand on his unbelievably relaxed shoulder. "Dragon! Don't…"

Her words broke through the anger that was clouding his vision, highlighting things in red. He let out a low breath, turning the blade away from the man and sheathing it beneath his dark robes in a move so quick that it was hard to catch. "You will not bother this girl again tonight, understood?"

The sailor gritted his teeth and turned back to his friends, who were giving him a look that spoke of trouble. "Why'd I want to? We were just _leaving_."

"Yes, of course." Dragon coolly replied, pushing Birdie behind him as they rose. The big man went as if to leave, and at the last second turned and landed a sloppy, yet powerful blow to Dragon's jaw. Birdie cried out in pain because Dragon had failed to do so and she heard Merle let out a scream before all hell broke loose.

The tables around the two flew back with an unseen force, the man stupidly raised his fists again, and Birdie felt a powerful energy force her to step away from Dragon. The man's friends looked uneasy after seeing the tables crash into the walls and stepped out of the fight that wasn't theirs. The twins had run to Eriya, hiding behind her long dress.

The room was quiet.

Dragon still hadn't moved.

"You gonna use your pretty sword on me, Mr. Knight?!" The man bellowed, feigning swings at Dragon who still didn't move. "You gonna use you magic on me, Wizard?!"

The Magician finally turned his head to look at the idiot before him. His voice was low, cold. "No. I can see that you possess neither."

"Well, come off it then, you skinny magician!" He growled, and made his move. His big arm swung out at Dragon's head again, but this time he ducked and with his right fist caught the drunken sailor in the stomach.

This seemed only to aggravate the enraged man as he rushed at him, and he used all his body weight to send Dragon crashing to the ground. Birdie's hands were at her mouth, her eyes swelling up with tears. She watched in horror as the sailor hunched over Dragon, landing sickening blows to his chest and another to his face. As the man pulled back to hit him once more, the Magician caught the man's wrist in his hand and twisted it around painfully, causing the sailor to cry out. He pushed the man off him, standing once more and wiped at the blood that was oozing from his lip, but had no time to think as the sailor was lunging at him once more.

In a quick, light movement, Dragon ducked under the man's arm as it came towards him and spun behind him faster than the intoxicated man could comprehend. He grabbed the big, clueless arm and wrenched it behind the sailor's back, gave it a deft, rapid, potent shove upwards and there was no mistaking the sickening _crack_ that echoed around the room.

Several people flinched, the sailor screamed in agony, Dragon released him and backed away. Turning to the two friends of his that were looking at him like they might be next, he coolly informed them, "Your friend needs a doctor. His arm is broken in two places. If you would be so kind as to escort him from the premises, I would be very grateful."

They blinked a few times before quickly obliging and hoisting their friend off the floor, leaving _The Escaflowne_ with a strange mixture of awe and horror on their faces, and not daring to forget to pay their tab. Things slowly drifted back to normal, conversation started up again, and Birdie rushed to Dragon, tears falling from her immense, terrified eyes.

"You-you fool!" She cried, more tears escaping her as the Magician turned to face her. He couldn't meet her gaze. "What were you thinking?!"

His lips were drawn in a tight grimace as he magically moved the tables back to their places. With a low, still cold tone he finally spoke. "Sorry."

"Dragon! Birdie!" Eriya called in a worried voice. "I can handle things down here for the night."

The Magician made as if to protest, but Birdie had grabbed his hand and was already pulling him up the stairs to his room. She felt the contact of it seeping her energy yet again, confirming that he'd out done himself. Once inside, she shut the door and went into his bathroom to find a washcloth. When she returned, she found him sitting on the bed, his face downcast and giving off the same remote feeling he'd been giving her for the past three weeks. He didn't move as she kneeled down in front of him between his legs, looking up at him with red, wet eyes. She reached for him, and cupping his face gently in one of her hands she brought the cold rag to his chin, wiping the trail of thick blood that had made its way down from his split lip.

He looked at her, mirroring her pained expression. "I'm sorry I made you cry, Little Bird."

The girl in front of him shook her head, golden locks twisting around her face as her eyes never left him. Birdie felt her strength draining slowly, evidence that he was hiding something from her. She dabbed the red blotched rag against his swollen lip, frowning as she felt her eyes watering yet again.

"I'm sorry…" He murmured through the rag once more, and Birdie felt her heart wrench in pain.

"Dragon…" She weakly started. "I'm not angry with you for fighting him. I'm worried about you! Just look at you! You're bleeding, who knows if you broke anything-"

"I didn't."

"Why?" She choked.

"I don't know. Just lucky I guess."

She threw down the rag angrily, her eyes burning with rage. "You _know _what I'm talking about! You look wretched, you look exhausted!"

He tried to give her a small grin, but decided it hurt to much and gave up. "Well, fighting is both wretched and exhausting. Would you rather I'd let him have his way with you?"

She shook her head in defeat, grabbing the rag back up from the floor and returning to his face again. "That's not it Dragon. That's not it at all…" She said softly, sadness lacing her voice.

Dragon let the silence come, the silence that had come far too many times between them since that day three weeks ago. Even though the rag was stinging his lip, he was quietly savoring the feel of her other hand on the side of his face, bringing him a comfort that had eluded him for so many nights now. As she moved the cloth to wipe some blood that spattered the left side of his cheek, the chivvying voices came again. He closed his eyes, clenched his teeth. The cloth continued to gently clean his basted face.

Her voice cut through his concentration. "You're doing it again."

He said nothing, she moved the rag down to his chin, continued brushing.

"You're killing yourself…" She whispered dolefully, and this caused him to open his eyes and part his lips to start an argument. He was going to tell her that no, he wasn't, but he was. He was going to tell her it was none of her business, but it was. He watched her eyes search his face for an answer, any kind of answer and she finally asked, "Why?"

"I told you…" He said quietly, resignedly. "I'd protect you. From everyone."

She looked away from him, thinking he was speaking of the fight he'd just gotten into, but in truth, he was answering her question as to why he was acting this way. It was the reason he couldn't sleep, why he shirked away from his magic, why he couldn't talk to her without going off someplace she couldn't see. But she still didn't understand.

Instead she breathed a long sigh, drawing her hands away from his now clean, but still battered face. "Did you always have a sword?"

He tried the grin again and flinched. "Yes."

"Can you use it, or was it just for show?" She attempted to smile as well.

"Just for show." He remarked sarcastically. "I think it makes me look debonair."

Birdie laughed for him, the glittery laugh, but he could feel the despair behind it. "I see. Well I agree, it made you look pretty dashing there for a second. Until he clocked you in the face-I can't imagine how much that must've hurt."

"No," He replied with a frown, which felt just a bad as the smile did. "I don't think I'd like you to imagine how much it hurt."

She turned her gaze to the bloodied rag she was folding into a neat square. "…Thank you."

"Ah!" The Magician breathed. "The long awaited gratitude. You are very welcome, fair maiden."

She stood, her lips turning up in a smile as she placed her hands on her hips. "Right-enough from you, oh Dashing Knight. You need to rest."

Dragon sighed dejectedly and shook his head, hanging his throbbing head in his hands. "I…I can't. I just can't! Birdie…"

She froze at the desperate plea that was tangled up in her name. Her heart twisted up, realizing that he was telling the truth, that there was no solace for him. His head jerked up when he felt her small hands on his shoulders, hands that were gently pushing him back. "Lay down." She insisted, and he groaned in dismay at the thought of being left alone with the chatty voices, but complied all the same.

He stretched out on the bed, his chest in too much pain to fold his arms behind his head and waited for her to be satisfied enough with his position to leave. But she didn't. He felt the mattress dip as she crawled up from the other end and lay down next to him, completely silent as she made herself comfortable.

He turned to her. "Birdie, you don't have to do this. I'll go to sleep."

She didn't open her eyes, but smiled. "No, you won't. Now get some rest you ninny."

"…Alright." He agreed with a note of relief, and flinched a little when her small hands wrapped around his arm, just as he'd remembered them doing so many nights ago. He felt himself start to draw in her strength and knowing she could feel it too, frowned the painful frown. "Birdie?"

"Hmn?"

"Why are you doing this?" The Magician questioned in perplexity.

She snorted. "Because…you're my friend."

And sleep came quickly for him.


	11. Unmasked

**Chapter Eleven:**

Unmasked

He awoke to find Birdie's forest-green eyes staring at him quietly. He blinked, checking to make sure she was really there and not some lovely hallucination.

"Don't smile at me," She warned with a grin. "You'll split your lip open again."

"Who said I was going to smile at you?" He scoffed, trying to sit up and immediately regretting it as pain shot up his chest. He laid back down. "Ugh…okay, so I was going to smile at you."

She rolled over onto her stomach and propped up on her elbows to look him over, a disapproving frown hovering on her lips. "How are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly…good." He admitted. "Besides the aching up and down my front and the soreness of my lower lip and the black eye that I assure you I have…good. I'm feeling a lot better now."

Birdie raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, I wish I could say the same. You snore _quite_ noisily."

He froze. "I do not."

She laughed. "No, you don't snore but I was really hoping to lead you on there for a bit. Ah, well. You know what time it is?"

He shook his head, and regretted that too because it started to pound. The gossiping, endless voices started up again, much stronger and in a greater multitude. "No. God, my head is killing me."

Birdie chuckled and rose from the bed, and it took him a moment to realize she was wearing a different dress. She walked to his nightstand and grabbed a cup off of it and returned to the side of his bed, handing it to him. It was warm, and smelled awful.

"I would frown at you, but as you said, I'd split my lip." Dragon told her distastefully, taking another whiff of the red liquid and holding it away.

"Well, if you enjoy that pounding in your head, you don't have to drink it." Birdie replied coolly.

He grit his teeth and gingerly took a sip, decided it wasn't so bad, and downed the whole thing. He handed it back to her and asked, "What time_ is_ it?"

Setting the cup down on his nightstand she motioned to the red sky. "Dusk. You slept for a whole day."

He bolted upright, ignoring the pain that wracked his body and looked to the window to confirm her statement, praying that she was joking. When he realized she wasn't, he knew why the continual chatter in his head was so much louder and stronger. It was pouring outside. She could've sworn he sounded almost terrified when he said, "I've been asleep…during the day? For a whole day?"

She nodded. "You needed rest. Everyone knows it, and Eriya's not angry or anything. In fact, if I would've woken you up, she probably would've skinned me alive."

"Oh, Birdie…" He moaned. "This…this is awful."

She scowled at him, and stood once more. "There's nothing awful about a good rest. Now, if you'd like I can bring you up some dinner, or you can join us downstairs."

He stood, despite his body telling him that it wasn't the best decision. Dragon had turned numb all over anyway, with the revelation that he'd missed a whole day. An entire day.

He'd failed her.

But of course, she didn't know this and was already heading downstairs, and he followed her forlornly.

When he arrived at the bottom of the stairs he was surprised to find the dining room completely empty, save the one table that'd been set for five people. The twins and Eriya were both there, and Birdie was just sitting when Merle leapt up out of her seat and ran to him.

"Dragon!" She cried, running to him and wrapping her small arms around his legs. "Dragon, are you hurt?"

He forced a laugh for little girl, ruffling her pink hair fondly. "No, I'm fine Merle." He cast a confused look around the dining room, his gaze settling on Eriya. "Why's it so empty in here?"

She was wiping tears from her eyes. "Oh, you brave, fearless boy. I couldn't have this place all noisy and whatnot with you resting. I closed down the shop for the day. Come on, come over here and sit down."

Dragon held Merle's small hand as they traveled to the table, and she hugged him once more before joining Birdie on the other side. Birdie was thoughtfully sipping her soup and Eriya was staring at him like he was some sort of decorated war hero. Dilly had Giro sitting next to him and the boy frowned up at the Magician as he sat down.

"You're lip looks really gross." He said in the utterly truthful way that only a five year old can offer.

"Dilly!" Eriya exclaimed. "That wasn't very nice!"

Dragon nodded towards him glumly. "At least you're honest." He picked up a piece of bread from the plate and started to force small chunks of it through his cracked lips.

"Dragon," Dilly asked, his eyes never leaving him. "can I see your sword?"

"No." Dragon replied distantly, still trying to work out a plan of what he was going to do now that he'd messed everything up. His original plan was falling apart before his bruised eyes. He would have to think of something, and quick.

A pounding on the door caused his head to snap up and he felt his insides form a knot, thinking it must all be over. The word 'failure' echoed around in his chatter-filled head as Eriya got up to answer it. Both Birdie and Dragon had their eyes glued on the door as she opening it a crack.

"Dryden!" Eriya exclaimed. "My goodness, you're soaking wet! Hurry up and get in here before anyone starts thinking were open for business."

Birdie was up and quickly walking to him, Eriya returning to her seat. As the young girl approached him, she could see the worry leaking out from his dark eyes and frowned, taking his drenched coat and hanging it on the wall. Dragon didn't miss the concerned look that passed between them.

"Dryden," She finally breathed. "You're back so _soon_…I hadn't expected to see you this early."

"Like I said," The brown haired man said with a hint of unease. "I'm just full of surprises."

She took his arm and lead him to the table where Eriya'd brought out another bowl and plate for him. He took the seat at the end between Birdie and Dragon, helping himself to some of the bread.

"So, what brings you to here to see me on such short notice?" Birdie inquired.

The man raked a suspicious glare over her and with a frown said, "…Just checking up on you. How's life been?"

Birdie returned his look. "…Okay, I guess. And you?"

"I'm tired." He grumbled, then noticing Dragon he winced. "You look like hell."

"You're not the first to inform me of this." The boy replied in an equally gnarled tone.

Merle leaned around Birdie to look at Dryden. "Dragon _beat up_ the man that grabbed Birdie!"

"Yeah!" Dilly echoed. "He _broke_ his arm! _Crack_!!!"

Dryden raised an eyebrow at the silent Magician before letting out a chuckle and clapping him on the back, making Dragon wince in pain. "That's a good lad!" He laughed. "So you're not as scrawny as you look, I guess. Very commendable behavior, very gallant!"

Dragon returned to his soup silently, and Birdie smiled at him for a moment before turning back to Dryden. "So, what's the gossip like these days?"

Dryden lowered his spoon, casting a dark look at her. "Then gossip these days, _dear_ Birdie, is that the Princess of Syrnia was spotted in Briel not a month ago at the castle. Please, tell me you've heard nothing of it?"

Dragon watched her face pale and her lips tighten. Eriya jumped in the conversation. "The Princess Hitomi?! What was she doing at the castle?"

Dryden rubbed his eyes, not daring to look at the young, pale woman anymore. "I _heard_, just _today _in fact, that she was seen dancing with _some man_ at a masked ball. Strangely enough, she didn't have any _shackles_ on her feet as she danced around the ballroom-shackles that I'm starting to think her would-be _kidnapper_ should have placed on her!!!"

Birdie had her eyes squeezed shut, feeling the Dryden's enunciated words like stinging blows. Eriya frowned at Dryden, pursing her lips. "Why how very odd…Birdie, you went to that masquerade, didn't you? Did you see her? Oh! Was she as beautiful as they say she is?!"

The girl swallowed, and caught Dryden's scowl. "Um…no. No, I didn't. Perhaps I left too soon?"

"Yeah right!" Dilly piped up besides a very tense Dragon. "Birdie was too busy dancing with that _dreamy prince_ to notice anything!"

And suddenly, everything stopped for Birdie. Something horrible welled up inside her at the boy's words, washing away Dryden's piercing glare, Dragon's bitter silence, the twin's goofy stares, Eriya's wide eyes…everything started to fade.

"Why haven't I heard about this before?" Eriya complained to Dryden. "If it happened right here in Briel, I should've known _by now_."

Fading…everything was going away. She was back in that cavernous room, the lights were growing ever brighter, the music was coming back…

"Humph." Dryden snorted. "Well, there's been a gossip dilemma lately. Seems that for the past month, whenever someone attempted to bring up the Princess of Syrnia in any conversation, the people suddenly seemed to forget what they'd been talking about. Start talking about how _pleasant _the weather is. Sounds like sorcery to me."

The music was loud, thundering in her ears and the man she'd danced with materialized in front of her, born again from the depths of her memory. She looked over him once more. Dark, unkempt hair…deep, cinnamon eyes. Green and brown spinning, melting…the green fields swayed in the wind…

"Oh God, no…" She breathed to herself, causing the other occupants of the table to stare at her with puzzlement. Her face was even paler now, her jade eyes wide and unblinking, and Dryden leaned in close to her.

"Birdie-"

"The man!" She cried out breathlessly, casting a delirious look around at the others. "The man I danced with! I know who he is!"

Dragon's breath died in his throat, his whole body grew ridged. The twins were bouncing up and down in their seats. Eriya's frown made way for a beaming smile. Dryden just waited. Everyone waited. Still she held her silence, not sure of how to bring her suspicion to life.

"Well, don't keep us waiting!" Dryden growled at her. "Who was it?"

Dragon watched as her eyes filled with… grief? She shook her head. "I…I cannot say. I don't _dare_ say it."

"Birdie," Came the Magician's strangely calm, oddly reassuring voice from across her. "It's alright. Tell us."

Their eyes locked for a moment, and he saw her swallow once, and her lips parted…

"Van Fanel."

Dragon frowned at the name, his insides went cold.

It was the name that he was quite sure was the _last one_ on his list of impossible answers before it had escaped her mouth like some flyaway demon.

His lip split open.

Dryden paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. "_Van Fanel_?" He cried. "_Van Fanel of Fanelia_? Birdie dear, I think that's just wishful thinking on your part."

There was no humored or offended looks that she could offer. There was only a wide-eyed, silent reflection that was taking place, and everyone could see it happening. She was so lost in her memory now, that she didn't bother to answer him.

"W-wishful thinking?" Dragon croaked, finally realizing that there was blood running down his chin and he grabbing a napkin he pressed it to his mouth.

Dryden was still shaking with mirth. "Oh yes, Dragon the Magician. You remember her biting your head off the last time I was here for calling her Prince a coward? One and the same."

"_The Prince is no coward! I'd rather he be a contented coward than a miserable King!"_

If anyone could've seen his face, they would be astounded at how fast it had drained of color. Despite this, he formed more words into a question he had to have answered. "…the Princess of Syrnia, her fiancé…"

Dryden shook his head now, wiping a few tears from his eyes. "Yep, _engaged_ to Van Fanel."

Dragon's world was at a stand still.

Birdie finally spoke, her voice quiet and far away. "I…I need to sit."

Merle look at her curiously. "Birdie, you _are _sitting."

The green eyed woman blinked once. "Oh, yes. Yes I am. Good."

Dryden raked a incredulous look over her. "You really, honestly, _truly _believe you danced with Van Fanel?"

Birdie nodded slowly, then something occurred to her, something that made her turn to Dryden with pain in her eyes. "He…he let me run from him…Dryden!" Her tone was quiet and quickly breaking. "He let me run away!"

Dragon's world started spinning once more at the tears in her voice. He silently observed the crushed woman across from him, watched Dryden put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Enough of that, Birdie." He sternly retorted. "Get a hold of yourself. You realize that Syrnia Soldiers will be here by tomorrow, don't you? They'll be searching every cargo ship that comes and goes, every road into Briel will be cut off by tomorrow morning. Do you understand? By _tomorrow morning_."

Birdie blinked, the realization that she was going to have to follow her Prince's advice once more giving her a sickening feeling in her gut. The Magician watched the small bit of regret flash through her eyes. "I understand."

"Well I _don't _understand!" Eriya finally spoke up.

Dryden grimaced before shooting her a smile. "It means, Eriya dear, that your Inn is going to be packed with trapped merchants and you will have your work cut out for you. So I suggest retiring early tonight, hm?"

She nodded, rising from the table and ordering the twins up to bed, but not before Birdie quickly leapt from her seat to give them both a long hug. To Eriya's surprise, Birdie wrapped her in a hug as well.

"Don't worry about the dishes, there's not that many of them, and I slept in today." Birdie offered quietly. "Thank you for…for everything."

Eriya pulled away from her to look at her peculiarly. "Everything?"

Birdie laughed, but not the glittery laugh. "…For dinner."

Eriya rolled her eyes. "Right. Well, don't stay up too late you two, and Mr. Fassa, you are more than welcome to stay if you'd like."

Dryden rose from the table, shaking his head as he headed for the door. "No, thank you Eriya dear. But I have to get back to my ship, which Briel guards are already pouring over to my great annoyance. Thank you for dinner!"

Eriya nodded and headed upstairs with the twins. Birdie watched as Dryden donned on his still damp coat before turning to her. Dragon caught the sad look pass between them, still sitting at the table.

"Thank you for everything." Birdie quietly managed.

Dryden finally laughed. "No, thank you. I hope…I hope everything goes well for you."

She nodded, and he opened the door and stepped out into the rain, closing it quietly behind him. The girl stood motionless for a moment, pondering over the events. Things were about to change for her…for better or worse, she couldn't quiet tell yet.


	12. Into the Rain

**Chapter Twelve:**

Into the Rain

Birdie returned to the table slowly, and upon noticing Dragon still sitting there, she paused. He hadn't moved an inch, a bloody cloth napkin in one of his balled fists resting upon the table. A thin trail of blood had found it's way down his chin once more and she couldn't help but to smile. She walked around the table and sat down next to him, and he didn't seem aware of her presence until she reached for the cloth in his hand.

He gave a little start as she took it from him, and tried to gather his thoughts as he watched her dip it into the water pitcher on the table. And then, her warm hand was on the side of his dazed face once more, gently beseeching him to look at her, which he did. He saw her face soften as she started to wipe the blood away, he saw the lament that was hanging in her eyes.

No words were spoken as she continued her task, tenderly dabbing his lower lip and staring at him like she was taking in every last detail of his face.

"I told you not to smile…" She quietly said.

Dragon watched her own, unscathed lips. "I was frowning." He admitted.

Birdie laughed, but not the glittery laugh. Would he ever hear the glittery laugh again? For a while more she said nothing, because there was nothing she could say to him. Without looking at him, she took his gloved hand in hers and pressed the cloth into it.

"Keep that on your lip for a bit." She instructed before rising once more from the table and starting to gather the dishes. The girl had to make a few trips to get all the dishes to the kitchen and on the last one she stopped to see Dragon still sitting at the empty table, his mouth parted and the napkin pressed to it in a very unconscious manner.

"Dragon."

His shot up to her, and it a very dazed tone he replied, "…Yes?"

He watched her pour an amused, sad look over him. "You should go back to bed. Go rest for a bit, I can take care of things here."

To her surprise, he didn't argue but dumbly nodded and left for his room in some kind of deep trance. When he got there, he stood in the empty room completely inert.

_Engaged…Engaged?!_

He let out a small noise that sounded like something between a whimper and a laugh. Who knows how long he stood there, absolutely motionless and expressionless before he realized what had to be done. Snapping out of the crushing stupor he immediately went for his bed, but instead of laying down on it like Birdie had ordered him to do, he went under it and found what he was searching for.

He pulled out a large, brown haversack and looked around the room for anything he might have forgotten. The man took the candlesticks and shoving them into the bag he retreated quietly from the room. Creeping down the stairs he made his way to the wall beside the kitchen where he could hear it's single occupant quietly padding back and forth across the tiled floor. He peered around the door.

She was wearing a dark green hooded cloak now, much like his own except it was sleeveless. If he hadn't know it was her, he would've swiftly beat the pulp out of her because it looked for all the world as though she was robbing the place. She was grabbing things and shoving them into a huge green bag: bread off the shelves, a long towel from the counter, a few boxes of matches, a huge kitchen knife-

And he knew it was all his fault. Dropping his own bag he stepped around the corner.

"Forgive me." He muttered, causing her to spin around with the kitchen knife raised dangerously.

"D-Dragon…" She squeaked, lowering the knife to her side. Birdie pushed back her hood and frowned at him. "What are you doing here!?"

He remained stoic, and continued in a hushed voice. "I'm sorry Birdie. I failed you. I let them find you."

She bit her lip for a moment. "It's not your fault Dragon-"

"Yes it is!" He practically cried, his voice laden with guilt. "I…I hexed your name so no one could speak of you, so the rumors wouldn't go around, but I failed you all the same."

She set the knife on the counter and walked to him, confusion lacing her eyes. "What are you talking about, you '_hexed_ my name'? What would they say about me, besides that I make some really good bread?"

The Magician looked around nervously before continuing in a hushed voice. "…I hexed your _real_ name. I cursed your entire title. It-it was the only way I could think of!"

"My _real_ name?!" Birdie choked, forgetting the nervousness of being caught fleeing from him, and finding a new uneasiness to dwell on. "You…you know who I am?"

Dragon nodded, and let out a long breath. "Yes, Hitomi. But that's not important now-"

"How can that not be important?!" The girl cried in and ever loudening whisper. "How long have you known? Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"I've known for a while, since I heard the first rumors about what happened at the ball. I didn't tell you because…because it just didn't seem that significant to _me_, I guess." He admitted quietly. "You were still…just Birdie to me."

Her ocean eyes softened at his words as she let them wash over her disbelieving mind. The boy shuffled his feet awkwardly, waiting for her to speak, quite sure that she might from the way her pink lips continued to open and close. It took a bit, but the girl managed to piece together what he was trying to tell her.

"You… You were stopping the rumors? I thought it strange…right before they could mention my name, they would forget what they were talking about, start talking about how _pleasant_ the weather was. Even on day's like this-" She motioned to the torrential rain that was angrily crashing down. "_Pleasant_."

He laughed a little. "Yes, well I couldn't think of anything else to have them say at the time, there were so many of them. It was hard enough directing their conversations away from you, I didn't really care what they talked about afterwards."

Birdie's mouth fell open, a sudden awareness lashing out at her viciously. "Dragon…you _directed_ their conversations? Like, facilitated? _Every one_? Could you hear them?"

"Yes," He gingerly replied. "It was getting…a little annoying. Every time someone would start thinking of your name, their thoughts would come to me. I really couldn't think of a better way…I'm not fond of hexes."

Her brain was careening out of control. His weariness, his restlessness, all the days he refused to use his magic… All the times he would zone out in the middle of their conversations. All the tasks he'd performed by hand. All the nights she sat up worrying about him.

It was all her fault.

"_You're killing yourself…Why?"_

"_I told you…I'd protect you. From everyone."_

Birdie felt her throat tighten, her eyes start to burn.

"And when I slept though today, I knew I'd missed too many of the conversations. The voices were louder, and there were so many of them." Dragon continued sorrowfully, regretfully. "Birdie, I _failed _you. Forgive me…"

She shook her head and his heart lurched at her rejection, until she threw her arms around his middle and broke into sobs in his chest. "You-you _stupid_ Magician!" She bawled. "I could never forgive you! You could've killed yourself! You could've gone mad! And all for some _stupid _promise you made me!?"

It took him a moment to put his arms around her, still shocked that she hadn't slapped him across his bruised face. "I…I wanted to _keep_ my _stupid_ promise."

"I'm sorry!" She choked into his robes. "I'm so sorry Dragon! I-I didn't understand…this is all my fault!"

He pulled her back from him to look at her tear streaked face and gave her a painful smile. "No, it's _not _your fault. But I cannot let you cry all over me for the rest of the night, we have places to go, right?"

"W-we?" She hiccupped.

He released her and went to the kitchen door to retrieve his haversack. "Yes, _we_. You didn't think I was going to let you run away all by yourself did you?"

She watched as he started grabbing more bread and other essentials and filling his bag as well. Birdie tugged on his sleeve. "You can't! It's dangerous! What if we get caught?! I know exactly where I'd end up, but you…they'd _kill _you Dragon! I-I cannot ask you to go!"

The man turned to her, grinning despite his sore lip. "You never _did_. I _decided_ to go. And, might I add, we don't have anymore time for tears _or_ arguments so if you could run upstairs and grab some really thick, really warm blankets that would be very helpful."

"But-"

"_Go,_ Birdie." He commanded, and she bit her lip before obeying and fleeing the kitchen. As she crept up the stairs she wasn't sure if she could correctly identify all the feeling that were raging around inside her. She went to the linen closet and opened it quietly.

Gratitude. That was the one that leapt out at her the strongest as she wiped her eyes once more. She had been anxious, terrified at the thought of being alone once more. But Dragon was going with her this time, and she was certain that he wouldn't lead her astray. She still wasn't comfortable at the thought of what would happen if they were caught. Birdie swallowed nervously…best not to think about it just then. The girl reached for two of the woolen blankets on the bottom shelf and silently shut the closet once more, and returned to the dining room.

Dragon was waiting by the front door, both of the haversacks in his hand. She tossed him a blanket and they each packed them away in their respective sacks before shouldering them beneath their robes. The man turned to her as he laid a hand on the doorknob.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You could just go back…"

She shook her head and drew up her hood. "It sounds cowardly, I know…but I don't want to go back yet."

He flashed her a smile. "I'd rather you be a contended coward than a miserable Princess."

Birdie laughed…the glittery laugh! He felt his tension surrounding the task at hand quickly melt away. She looked up at him, even though he couldn't see her eyes. "Well, Mr. Wizard, what road are we taking? Cargo ships are out of the question, as Dryden said. It's too bad to, because he would've gotten me out of here just like he got me in."

"I knew there was something strange about you two." He muttered. "Well, I suppose our route lies dependant on where it is you want to go."

Her head lowered. "I don't know. Syrnia is out of the question. In fact…all major cities our out of the question. I'm sorry Dragon…I don't know where we _can _go."

His gloved hand reached out for her chin and he lifted her face to look at him. "This isn't your fault. And if you have no real destination, then I _do_ have one. It's a good two weeks journey though, so we have to get moving."

She nodded and offered him a smile, and he released her face. Turning back to the door he spoke only once more. "When we're outside, stay to my left at all times. Don't look around-it'll make us look conspicuous. I'll be watching for anyone that may see us. We're going to stick to the shadows when at all possible, and if there are guards at the east gate when we get there, don't say a word and let me do the talking."

He didn't wait to see if she agreed with him or not, but opened the door after silencing the bell over head, and both figures stepped out into the rain. No sooner than he had closed the door, he was off down the street, setting a quick, light pace that Birdie found hard to keep up with. She stayed at his left at all times, trying her best not to fall behind. It didn't take long for the rain to seep through her green cloak, and by the time they reached the East Gate, she was thoroughly soaked. Dragon slowed their pace to a calm walk and she felt her stomach twist as she spotted the three Briel guards ahead.

"It will be fine. Say nothing, and don't let them see your face." He muttered again as the guards straightened up at their approach. She checked to make sure her hood was covering even her nose, and stared at the ground to watch Dragon's feet.

"Hold there!" One of them ordered and Birdie and Dragon stopped.

"Good evening." Dragon politely replied. "We wish to pass through the East Gate."

The guard shook his head. "Not 'till I get your names and see your faces. Orders and all."

"I'm Miguel, and this is my companion, Shasta." Watching Dragon's feet she had the feeling he showed the guard his face. She felt a little stab of jealousy but it was quickly drown out by fear as she saw the guards feet in her limited view.

"Your face, Shasta." The guard barked out.

Dragon quickly spoke. "He's a little nervous about it, you see. Ever since he got the leprosy… well. People haven't been kind to him when they see his face. Most just scream at him."

Birdie shivered as she felt something crawling up over the skin on her right arm.

The guard blanched. "L-leprosy, you say? Well…I still need to his face…"

She heard Dragon sigh. "Well, why don't we let you see his arm first, just to see if you can stomach his face, eh? Go on, Shasta. Show him your arm."

Birdie somehow controlled her nervous shaking and held out her tingling arm for the guards inspection. When she saw her arm, she had the intense urge to vomit but quickly swallowed it back down. Her skin was a greenish-brown and black in some places. There was white flakes of what appeared to be her skin hanging off in heavy globs.

The soldier brought a hand to his mouth and walked a bit away from them, turning to wave them by, shouting in between his dry heaves. "Go! GO! Get out of here, that's contagious, isn't it!? Let them through! And don't touch them, they've got the skin rot!"

Birdie quickly hid her arm back inside her robes and followed Dragon past the other two, thoroughly revolted guards and out onto the wide beaten path. As soon the rain had hid the huge Briel wall from their view she felt her arm tingling again as the spell dissolved. She took it out of the cloak to make sure it was back to normal, which it was.

Dragon chuckled beside her, his pace picking up again. "Good job. Now, we have to press on as fast as possible. We need to make it to Mir Forest before sun up, and we'll hide in there until the next night fall."


	13. The Cave in the Enchanted Forest

**Chapter Thirteen:**

The Cave in the Enchanted Forest

They pressed on doggedly through the night, both the rain and Dragon's quick pace never lightening. Birdie found herself unable to think of anything else but keeping up with the agile man, which somewhere in the thoughts she didn't have time to think about, she was thinking was a good thing. Eventually, after the umph-teenth time of Dragon stopping to let her catch up, he took her haversack from her and she only made a few half-hearted complaints about him carrying both. The dirt path had turned to mud and her leather boots had soaked straight through hours back. Her cloak was dripping, and every hour or so she would wipe a hand across her wet face.

When Dragon finally came to a slow stop in front of her she felt an unbearable urge to collapse right there in the mud. But he was pointing at something looming huge and dark in the distance, about another half an hour away.

"That's Mir Forest, Birdie." He breathed through the water that was running down his face. "The path doesn't go through the forest, but around it, so we'll follow it until we're right next to it and go in. We don't want to leave a trail through the grass for them to follow."

She could only nod, too winded for words. And then they were off again, and Birdie wondered where in the world he got all his stamina from and determinedly started after him. They rounded a bend in the path that hugged and ever-thickening line of trees just as the dark sky started to give way to a deep red glow on the horizon.

The boy stopped, and casting a look around the desolate area, turned to the girl once more. "When we go in, try your hardest not to crush any flowers, break any twigs, or scrape against the bark of the trees. I know you're tired, but we're almost there, I promise."

Another nod, and they started off into the trees, Birdie trying her hardest to follow his instructions. One of the first things she noticed was how _quiet_ it was…there were no birds chirping, no sound of the wind blowing…utterly quiet. Even their footsteps seemed to get swallowed by the omnipresent silence.

The second thing she noticed, was how _still _everything appeared. No leaves shook, not a blade of grass stirred. As she followed the Magician's zigzagging route further into the forest, she got the nagging feeling that their movements completely clashed against the disquieting atmosphere.

The third thing she noticed, (and she was starting to think that noticing these things couldn't be quite healthy) was that there was no one else there. Not that she was expecting people of course, but she found it unsettling that after a good twenty minutes she hadn't spotted a single bird, nor a deer, nor a rabbit, not even a mouse. There weren't even any bugs. She shivered.

Birdie knew forests. She knew what they were supposed to be like…and knew there was nothing normal about this one.

After a total hour of forest trekking, they emerged into a small clearing. Just beyond was an opening in the side of a steadily rising, tree covered hill. He lead her to the cave and she thanked God that she wouldn't have to sleep in the rain. Dragon stopped and set both of the haversacks down just inside the opening and Birdie fell to her knees, breathing heavily. She didn't see his grin as she gave her legs time to understand that they weren't walking anymore.

"We'll camp here for the day." He informed while opening one of the bags to pull out a kitchen towel and a blanket. He set them next to her and turned back to the cave opening. "I'm going to go find us some firewood, you get out of your wet clothes and into something dry."

She paled a little. "I-I didn't bring any other clothes…"

He frowned at her. "Well, that wasn't smart, was it? I still suggest you get out of them. You'll catch cold."

Birdie wanted to argue with him, but he'd left. She thought for a moment, considering her options. There was no way she'd be able to fall asleep in her soaked, emerald green dress and didn't relish the idea of catching her death in the middle of a very creepy forest. Then again, she didn't feel quite comfortable being naked in front of Dragon. She considered the options once more. Groaning, she started peeling away the soaked layers. First she removed the dripping cloak, then stepped out of her green dress, removing her shoes and stockings. She looked down at herself, wondering if it was too reveling.

Her underclothes consisted of a white, strapless chemise that laced up the front, and matching, drawstring pantaloons that bunched up just below her knees. The girl frowned, seeing that they were so soaked they were see through. Birdie quickly grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her shivering form, and finally glanced around the cave.

It didn't go very far back, and the opening was so low she'd had to duck her head to get inside. The inside wasn't as low, tall enough for Dragon not to have to stoop and the walls were rough and rocky. And it was _cold_. She continued to shiver, watching out the opening of the cave at the rain that just wouldn't let up. Dragon's feet hovered into view and she saw him hesitate.

"Birdie, are you decent?"

She managed a small laugh. "Yes, or as d-decent as one can g-get when they're s-soaked to the bone."

He ducked inside, his arms laden with dripping wood. He arranged it on a spot close to the wall, breaking up the bigger pieces to fit in the pile.

"Y-your n-never going to g-get it to l-light." She chattered. "Everything's s-soaked."

She heard him give a small chuckle. "My, aren't you _optimistic_. Do you want to bet on it?"

"S-sure." Birdie mumbled. "W-why not?"

Dragon started setting more damp pieces to the side for later. "Alright, what will we bet on?"

She huddled deeper into the blanket. "G-god, I don't c-care! I'm g-going to w-win anyways. W-whatever you w-want."

"Whatever I want, huh?" He rubbed his gloved hands together. "Right. And if you win?"

She couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. "T-then I'll f-freeze!"

He shot her a wry grin. "Right. Very well then."

Dragon held his hand out over the wood, and her weary eyes watched as a small flame sprung up in the center of the pile. Whenever he would remove his hand, the flame would start to sputter out, and he had to stay there for a good ten minutes before it accepted the now dry wood as a decent burning material.

She needed no further invitation to move in closer to the fire, sitting down next to him with the blanket drawn up over her head, still shaking.

Without turning to him, she said, "You cheated."

"Cheated?" He scoffed. "_Cheated? _Well, I can extinguish it if you'd like, and try matches if you prefer."

The boy watched her quickly shake her blanket covered head. "N-no. No! It's acceptable. Very lovely. You win. So…what do you want?"

He cast her a sideways glance and pondered for a moment before replying. "You never said I had to request it right away. I'll let you know later."

The glittery laugh echoed around the quickly warming cave. "I see. That's fine by me." She paused to look over at him, still wearing his dripping clothes. "Are really going to keep those wet clothes on? You were the one going off about catching colds."

He snickered. "Hm, I'm not wet though."

She shot him an incredulous look. "Dragon-you're _saturated_. There's a great puddle around you!"

"Give me your hand." He ordered.

Birdie's gaze turned curious before reaching one of her arms out, exposing her bare shoulder to him in the process. He gently took her hand in his and laid it on the outside of his cloak…it was dry! She frowned at him and he smiled, until she reached through a small gap in the front of it and grabbed his dark red shirt and shot him a triumphant scowl.

"So-the cloak stays dry and your clothes get wet?" She caroled. "What a _magic _cloak you have. Very _useful_."

Dragon sighed. "Well, it's not _perfect._ But it can dry itself, adjust to the wearer's size and absorb smells and believe me, that is certainly _magical_ when you haven't showered in two weeks."

"Y-you haven't?"

He chuckled. "Yes, I _have_. Just yesterday in fact, in case you were still wondering. I'm just saying, it _is _a magic cloak and not to go doubting its _usefulness_ just yet."

"But you're going to sit in your wet clothes anyways?" She guessed.

"Yes, I am." He replied. "Don't worry-the fire will dry me out."

"Hmm…" She frowned, then to his surprise stood up and turned from him to wrap the blanket around her chest tightly to free her hands. With the white coverlet firmly in place, she walked to her soggy clothes and started to wring the water from them. Dragon was glad she couldn't see him staring at her as she continued in her chore, his abdomen firing up at the sight of her bare shoulders and damp brownish blond curls that hung down between her shoulder blades. She laid out her wet dress close to the fire to dry, and returned for her cloak.

"I've figured out what I want." The Magician finally stated.

She didn't look up as she started to wring the water from the green cloak, trying to keep her blanket away from the dripping liquid it released. "Oh yes? And what would that be?"

He thought over his request once more before voicing it. "If you do not wish to answer, you don't have to." Dragon hesitated. "I want to know why you left the castle. What made you start running?"

Birdie inhaled deeply, silent as she walked back to the fire with the cloak and laid it next to her dress. She untied the blanket from around her, opening it to throw it back over her shoulders, briefly exposing her undergarments to him. He flushed, but she was too busy thinking about his question to notice what she'd done and sat down next to him once more.

"…I had a vision." She quietly replied. "Two weeks before I left the castle, I was in my room, standing out on the balcony. I was watching the sky…it was a deep, dark red. Then suddenly, everything faded away and I was in a forest. The sky there was the same color I'd just been looking at, and I was really confused at first…of course, it wasn't the first time I'd had visions like this, but it'd been a long time since the last time I'd had one so vivid."

"You're a _Seer_?" He interrupted, not able to hide his obvious surprise.

"Hmm," Birdie grimaced. "Well my father wanted me to take on that title, Syrnia being a kingdom that is solely dependant on magic. He tried day in and out to ease me into the role, giving me choices between embroidery classes or basic enchantment lessons. I tried to go that route for awhile, knowing it would please him to have a Seer for a daughter. But, I told you, I swore off magic when I learned about the Law of Strength. Now I know more than eighty needlework stitches."

Dragon sniggered. "Oh, how very _useful_. Well, what did you see in this vision of yours?"

She paused for a moment, and he remained silent, watching the fire reflect her reminiscent eyes. When she spoke again, it was much more hushed. "I saw a boy. His hair was dark, and he was wearing some finely crafted armor. There was a sword in his hand, but it wasn't raised. He was standing in front of a land dragon, and it was huge…terrifying…and they weren't moving at all. I thought…I thought the dragon was going to kill him, or he the dragon. But…he dropped his blade and everything faded away. I found myself back on my balcony."

The Magician sat as still as he ever had, not sure how to feel about this information. It was a long while before he had the motor skills necessary to ask, "…Did you know him?"

Birdie sighed, long and low. "Not at first. I was troubled by it for another week, and never spoke of it, knowing I would just be pressed into a Seer's role once more. I had almost dismissed it entirely until I heard two of the kitchen maids whispering about…my engagement. It was then that I first learned I was supposed to marry the Fanelian Prince, Van Fanel. It was also when I learned of his death-that he had died in the task of Dragon Slaying that Fanelia requires of all their future kings."

Dragon remained silent, his stomach twisting up in knots at her words. He tried to imagine what she must've felt, but she'd already continued once more.

"For the next three days, I didn't know what to do. I knew that my vision had been of Van, but I didn't understand why I hadn't seen him die. And then I thought…perhaps he _didn't_ die. And because I believed he was alive, I secretly contacted Dryden because he visited the castle often, and I knew he had a cargo ship. I arranged my departure with him. Of course, it took some convincing on my part, and Dryden never quite believed me, but a few days later I was breaking the things in my room, turning over nightstands…staging my own kidnapping. He took me out of Syrnia, past the border near Arzas and dropped me off there. He insisted that I go a bit further, but I couldn't risk him being caught. And then…I started wandering."

Birdie let out a low breath, and Dragon stared at her painfully, her story filling him with so many mixed emotions that he couldn't even start to define one of them.

The girl wrapped her arms around her legs, drawing them close to her and she leaned her head upon them. "…I never found him. I searched _everywhere_, Dragon. I went to Fanelia. I went to Austria. I journeyed through Fried and Arzas. I traveled to remote, backwater villages, to quiet fishing towns. I only found rumors of his death…and finally, I found myself in Briel, too tired to go on. That's when Eriya found me, took me in. I met up with Dryden one day at the harbor, he hardly recognized me because I'd chopped my hair so short to avoid being found out. He confirmed once again what I'd already heard…that Van was dead. So…I forgot about him, or tried to anyway."

He finally broke his gaze from her to stare into the flames. "…Do you love him? Is that why you went to find him?"

The girl laughed softly and turned to him. "No, that's not it. I just…I thought my vision was important, that it meant something. I believed in it, I believed he was alive. I knew my father would believe me, had I told him but it would also force me into a role I had no wish to play…I knew I would be married to another if I stayed. Even if I had met him, I still don't know what I would've said to him."

"But you know he's alive now." Dragon interjected. "You danced with him. Dryden told you his remains were never found. Do you still wish to look for him?"

He watched her frown and reach for her haversack. "I don't know." She said as she took out a loaf of apple-cinnamon bread. Tearing it in half, she handed him some, and taking a bite she continued. "Dragon, I didn't even realize it was _him _I was dancing with. And…even though it sounds farfetched, I don't think he knew who I was either. I saw how shocked he was when someone called out my name from the crowd. I'm starting to debate whether or not he even knew we were betrothed. Neither of us were supposed to know. He told me to run! Is that something you tell your long-lost fiancé? I still can't believe it…no. No, I'm _done_ searching for Van Fanel. If he wants me, he can very well come and find me himself. And if he _does _find me, I will tell him to go suck an egg. _Damn him_ for smelling so good!"

He relaxed at her flustered comment, and even gave a light chuckle. "Well…what are you going to do, now that you're not searching for him anymore? You said you can't return to Syrnia."

Birdie tore off another small piece of bread. "Its not that I can't…I just don't want to. I don't want to be a Seer, which I would then have to be, for I would obviously have to explain myself. And I don't want…to marry another."

"Would you have married Van?" He carefully inquired.

She grimaced, looking away from him. "…Yes. Yes, I probably would've, had he agreed to come back with me, had I found him. But it didn't happen. So now I have _nothing_. Nowhere to go." The girl turned to him with a hopeful, hesitant smile. "I'd…I'd like to stay with you, if you'll have me. At least, just a little while?"

Dragon offered her a soft smile, then quickly donned on a scowl. "I don't know, Princess. You're dangerous goods to be hauling around, if you know what I mean. And your company's not all _that_ great…I would definitely be doing _you_ a favor."

Birdie threw a small piece of bread at him, and it bounced off his shoulder and hit the ground. He quickly picked it up and popped it into his mouth and she made a wry face at him. "Dragon! That's disgusting!"

"And _you're _wasting food. Besides, it adds flavor." He argued in a very informative tone.

She laughed her glittery laugh for him. _His_ laugh. "So," She said, drawing her lips into a pout that immediately caught his attention, forcing his eyes to stay there. "You won't have me then?"

"Of course I will …" Dragon quietly chided, as though she should've know all along. "But I promise you I won't be_ half_ as entertaining as embroidery lessons."

Her ocean colored eyes sparkled in the light, playing havoc on his mind. "Well, I thank you just the same." She finished her bread. "And how can spending the day half-naked in an enchanted forest _not_ be entertaining?"

The Magician took off one of his shoes and set in up next to the fire. "How did you know this forest was bewitched?"

She watched him remove the other. "Syrnia is surrounded by forests, and they are enchanted as well…but not like this. It's too quiet here, too still."

Dragon leaned back on his elbows. "Well, Mir Forest is a cursed place…or at least that's what people say. I'm surprised you haven't heard the tales…people wander in here, only to get carried off by wood elves, or eaten by pixies. Some say the stillness can drive you mad, if the silence doesn't first. They even claim that once you go in, there's no way out, and the forest constantly shifts around to trap you in it."

"Sounds like rubbish to me." Birdie scoffed, grabbing her green haversack and propping it up like a pillow. She laid down on her side, facing the fire.

"Hm, no it's all quite true." Dragon informed calmly as he threw another log on. "But I figured this was the last place they'd look for us, so I decided to take our chances."

Birdie lifted her head to shoot him a dubious, horrified stare. "I suppose you think you're quite _clever_, don't you? And what if the rumors are true? What then?"

"I haven't thought that far." The boy admitted nonchalantly as he grabbed his own haversack and laid down, his head near Birdie's as they formed a semi-circle around the dancing flame. "But I'd rather not think of it right now…let's sleep, Birdie."

She wanted to argue with him, but knew she was too tired to complain. With a long, weary sigh the girl allowed the night of endless walking to catch up to her…and drifted off to sleep.


	14. Unwelcome

**Chapter Fourteen:**

Unwelcome

Birdie was awaken by a very high pitched, annoying shrill that was coming towards the entrance of the cave. While her exhausted mind tried to deduce where exactly she was, why she was in her undergarments, and why it was so _damn_ cold-the trill moved ever closer, and she found that that the nerve wracking sound actually made up tiny voices.

"We don't like them!" Came the first voice.

"They're ugly!" Cried the second.

"Hideous!" Echoed a third.

The girl tilted her head upwards to see Dragon still sleeping, oblivious to the horrendous chatter. She frowned.

"Oh-oh it's waking!"

"Did it hear us?!"

"Of course it didn't!"

Birdie groaned, and sat up, looking towards the three things that had disturbed her slumber. Strangely, all she could see was three, bright green lights hovering near the entrance, silhouetted against a now dark and dry sky, each one no bigger than her thumb. She scowled at them, too angry and sleepy to be frightened.

"It-It's looking at us!" Screamed one as it flitted around in a dizzying circle.

"No it's not! We're invisible you ninny!"

"Yes, invisible!" Agreed the third.

The woman rubbed a hand over her face in frustration, and looked once again to Dragon who hadn't moved. She envied how deep he could sleep as the tittering voices continued.

"It doesn't look so ugly…"

"No, maybe not."

"I think it's a girl."

"A girl? No girls come here!"

"Yes, only big, ugly, _hairy_ men!"

"I hate men."

"Me too!"

"Agreed."

Birdie whimpered as she felt the beginning of a pounding headache coming on. Knowing that they assumed she couldn't see them, and unsure of what their intentions were, she decided to ignore them for the moment. She crawled to her clothes and finding that they were still damp, she inwardly cursed. Instead of throwing her haversack at the little balls of light, she opened it, and digging around the bottom found a box of matches. She discarded her blanket and started grabbing some more wood.

"Ah! Thief!"

"Oh, oh it has our wood!"

"But it's already dead. Look see?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, quite."

"It didn't harm our precious trees?"

"That was quite nice of it."

"She's still a thief!"

"We own the dead trees too?"

"I thought we did."

"Who wants to own corpses?"

"Ew, gross. Not me."

"Me neither."

"Let her have them."

The girl soon realized that they must be forest pixies. She had never seen one before, not even in books, but it didn't take much for her to make the educated guess. Birdie cast another incredulous look at Dragon, who was still sleeping before striking a match and coaxing the fire to life. It took two matches. She groaned again.

"She-she's_ burning _it!"

"Oh, oh that's just sick!"

"Should we stop her?"

"No, we don't own corpses."

"Oh yes, that's right."

"It smells awful though!"

"Like burning corpses!"

"That's because she_ is_ burning corpses."

"Gross!"

As her last nerve shattered, she stood quickly, and whirled on them. "I can't take it anymore! Would you_ please_ shut up?!"

Dragon sat bolt upright, did a quick look around, his gaze finally resting on Birdie, standing in her undergarments facing the cave entrance with her hands on her curvy hips. He swallowed.

"Birdie…who are you talking to?" He said as he cast a perplexed look around.

At the sound of his voice, the lights that had frozen at Birdie's outburst suddenly sprang to life once more, flitting around each other rapidly.

"Ah! A man!"

"A man, _a man_!"

"She can see us!"

"She can hear us!"

"A man!!!"

Dragon frowned as she stomped her bare foot against the floor. "Yes, he_ is_ a _man_! And yes, I can see you! And _yes_, I can_ hear_ you! And I really wish I couldn't, because you're getting on my nerves!!!"

"Birdie…?" He muttered, wondering if she'd gone mad for a few moments.

She whirled back to him, and his gaze went to her lace up chemise, his mouth falling open a little. The girl seemed oblivious to her state of undress as she jabbed a frustrated finger towards the entrance.

"You can't see them?!"

He didn't bother too look, his eyes still trapped on her chest. "Um…no." He finally confessed.

"Of _course _he can't see us!"

"He's a man!"

"Well, he's not a_ bad_ looking man."

"He's quite handsome actually."

"Quite the catch."

"My, do all girl's dress in so little clothing?"

"Oh! I wonder what they were _doing_…?"

"Do you really have to wonder?"

Dragon saw her face heat up as she turned back to the invisible beings. "We weren't _doing _anything!!!" She raged. "You…you…_perverted _pixies!!!"

"Oh, touchy, isn't she?"

"That's because she's lying."

"Well, of course."

"Pixies…?" Dragon said as he stood, grabbing Birdie's abandoned blanket as he did so. Walking to her, he draped it around her shoulders, not so much for her as himself. Her eyes grew wide, and her face even more red at the gesture, quickly hugging the material close to her body.

"You still can't see them?" The girl weakly managed. "There's three of them. And they've been arguing with each other for a good ten minutes now."

"We don't argue!"

"Yes, we do."

"No we don't!"

"I'd like just once to see a pixie." Dragon offhandedly said as he stared into the empty space. "I've heard they're very beautiful."

"He thinks I'm beautiful!"

"No, he was talking about me!"

"No, he was talking about me! Look, look at me, oh handsome man! I'm right here!"

And Dragon suddenly found himself staring at little green ball of light, two others appearing right behind it as the first fluttered towards him.

"Fol, how could you!" One of the others screeched and Dragon winced.

"Yes, Fol, you are a_ fool_!"

The pixie hovered ever closer to Dragon, darting around his head. "He thinks I'm beautiful, Tal! He's mine, this one is!"

"No, he was talking about me!" Said Tal as she hovered towards him.

"Shut up Cul! He was most certainly speaking of me!"

Birdie whimpered, wrapping her head in her hands as she returned to the fire. Dragon immediately felt sorry for her, and himself as the shill voices continued.

"I don't think you can have him Fol."

"Why not Tal?"

"Because of her…"

"Oh…you don't suppose they're _lovers _do you?"

"I do suspect so, yes."

"Yes, it certainly looks that way."

Dragon felt his face redden and heard Birdie groan again. He shook his head, wondering what else the poor woman had had to put up with. "Birdie and I are _friends_. I take, from your lovely green glows, that you're forest sprites?"

"We're _the_ forest sprites!"

"Yes, the only ones."

"We own this forest."

The Magician nodded, headed back to Birdie and sat down. "It's a beautiful forest, and I thank you for letting us sleep here in safety."

"Safety?"

"We were going to _kill _you."

"Yes, we were."

"Are we still?"

"No, he's far too handsome!"

"Yes, he is, isn't he?"

"What of the girl?"

"I don't like her."

"Me neither."

"I'd like to kill her right now…"

Dragon raised an eyebrow at them, and saw Birdie's eyes quickly grow wide as she looked to him in fear. The man frowned. "But she is my _friend_. If you killed her, it would pain me greatly. I beg you, let her live…she means you no harm, surely you know this?"

"That's…hmm."

"We couldn't kill her anyways."

"No, we couldn't."

"If she died, so would we."

"Yes, we would."

"We can't die!"

"Yes we can, if the forest dies."

"She must live."

"I still don't like her."

"I don't think she's all _that_ bad…"

The three pixies hovered over to Birdie, and one finally stopped, perching upon one of her knees that she'd hugged close to her body. It's green glow faded slowly, and Birdie stared at the little naked girl with long green hair in surprise, no bigger than her finger. The little being's papery thin wings fluttered a bit, and it stared up at her with big, pupil-less green eyes.

"Look, Cul, come look at her _eyes_!"

The other two came to perch on her knees as well, their lights dimming. She frowned when she realized they all looked the same.

"Oh my, yes that _is _odd."

"I like her." The first finally decided.

"Yes, me too."

"Agreed."

"I don't understand you at all!" Birdie snapped at them. "First you want me dead, then you like me? Make up your mind, will you?"

"You must excuse her," Dragon chuckled. "I made her run a very long ways last night, through the pouring rain no less. It's not a wonder that she's a little snappy."

"Oh, I see."

"That's so sad!"

"Where are you going?"

Birdie rubbed a hand across her eyes. "I don't know…Dragon, where _are_ we going?"

Dragon rummaged around in his haversack and found two green apples, and tossed one over to her. "Adom." He replied perkily. "Good thing the rain let up, we've got a long ways to go yet."

"Adom?" Birdie said, taking a bite of the crisp fruit. "I've never heard of it."

"Which is why we're going there. We have two options on which route to take," He continued, polishing his own apple on his cloak. "If the lovely forest sprites allow us, we can continue East though Mir Forest and arrive at the Yale Mountains in a few days. Crossing over them will take us about a week or so, and Adom isn't far once we get over them."

"What's the other option?" Birdie asked curiously, not exactly relishing the idea of mountain climbing.

"We go back to the beaten path and follow it around the forest, around the mountains. It would take anywhere between three weeks and month. And then there's always the risk of meeting people on the road. Not really the best choice, but another possibility." Dragon concluded, crunching into his apple.

Birdie frowned at the latter suggestion, sighing in defeat. "Yes, we have no choice but to cross over the mountains, do we? Well, little fairies, is it alright with you if we press on though your forest?"

"I suppose."

"Yes, but only because you have beautiful eyes."

"And because your friend is so handsome!"

She gave a light laugh. "I don't know how you'd figure that, being that all you can see of him is his bruised lips. You have very strange tastes indeed."

Dragon scowled at her a moment before the sprites started tittering again.

"No, no we _see_ him!"

"Yes, we see him, we see _right through_ his clothes!"

"Yes, yes! And yours as well."

Birdie quickly hugged her legs closer to her chest, and Dragon grabbed the haversack and set it between his legs in a swift movement. The three broke out into laughter and turned back into little green balls of light before rapidly flying to the entrance once more.

"Humans! So self conscious!"

"Yes, even though they were born naked like the rest of us!"

"We'll never understand them."

"Good luck to you both!"

"Watch out for the Tidden!"

"Oh, yes, do take care around that one!"

"And don't take hurt our trees!"

And as noisily as they'd come, they were gone. Both breathed long sighs of relief and laughed for a moment.

"Well," Dragon sighed. "That was a little uncomfortable, in more ways than one."

"Yes, I agree." The girl replied, finishing her apple and reaching for her clothes once more. Finding they were now an acceptable level of damp, she turned to him. "Could you…?"

He snickered. "You forget you've already shown me everything, Princess." Still he swiveled around to face the back of the cave. While she dressed, he talked. "If we're going to take the mountain pass, we're going to have to really ration our supplies. I'm a little worried about taking that path…you don't have anything warm to wear."

Birdie stepped into her ocean colored dress and hooked the small snap in the back. "Yes, well, I suppose I'll have to endure. You can look now."

He turned back to her, watching as she donned on her cloak once more and stepped into her boots. "You say that now, but when you find how cold it is, you'll be regretting it. However, I guess it is the only safe passage we have. Right."

He laced up the haversack and extinguished the fire with a wave of his hand. Birdie folded up her blanket and stuffed it inside her bag, and shouldering it they exited the cave.


	15. Blinded by Love

**Chapter Fifteen:**  
Blinded by Love

They trekked through the Mir Forest for the next two days, stopping only to make camp when he'd judged they'd covered enough distance for the day. They walked only during the night, starting right as the sun began sinking and stopping a few hours after dawn had broken. Fortunately, they weren't visited by the forest sprites again, and found that since the visit, the forest had seemed to lighten up a bit.

Birdie caught the songs of strange fowl, even glimpsed the occasional rabbit, and thought she saw a deer once, but couldn't be certain for it was quite dark. Dragon proved to be good company, and they would make small talk during their long walks, until he would say, "Less talkin', more walkin'" which meant they hadn't covered as much ground as he'd liked and would quicken his pace. Every night, after a few hours, he would take Birdie's haversack and she would protest for bit before letting him have it. Unlike the first night however, she now wrestled it back after another few hours had passed.

Upon waking on the third evening in a small clearing that Dragon had decided was a good spot for camp, she decided that the worst part of traveling was the lack of showers. All in all, she felt icky. Quite disgusting, for use of a better word. Downright grimy. Thankfully, she knew Dragon couldn't be in much better shape than her, but he did have a nice, smell-proof magic cloak that she both hated and really wanted at the same time.

The boy was currently chopping a potato into little bits with the kitchen knife she'd pulled on him their last night at _The Escaflowne_. She held her hands out over the small fire (burning corpses) and watched as he dumped them into a small cooking pot she'd smartly packed.

"We should be at the base of the mountains by morning, if we hurry." He was saying, starting in on an onion.

"Right…mountain. Fun." The girl sighed. She stood and stretched, looking up over the tops of the trees, the high peaks of the snow capped mountains rising ominously in the distance. She grimaced, and started walking away.

When she was at the edge of the clearing and started heading into the thick trees he quickly stood. "Birdie! Where are you going?"

She whirled on him. "To the ladies room, if you _must _know. Would you like to hold my hand?"

Birdie watched him flinch and shaking his head, he returned to the onion. "Sorry. Don't go too far."

She laughed and set off into the trees, leaving him with his onion. As he peeled it, he reflected thoughtfully on the past few days. It had been nice, however physically stressful the actual walking parts were, and when he wasn't left alone with his own thoughts. On their first day leaving the cave, Birdie had started singing little happy ditties about trees and flowers and other good things-and continued to sing through the next day. They hadn't really talked as much as he'd have liked, but that was because they had to walk. Then again, it might've been because of the long, deep conversation they'd had that night in the cave.

That dialogue was what riddled his intellections as they continued on, the story of why she left her title behind. It gave him a compelling reason to haul around a sense of self-loathing, and an ever growing sense of guilt.

'…_I never found him. I searched **everywhere**, Dragon.'_

What a fool he was. Of course, he also pondered how things came to be so awry. A part of him blamed fate. The other part blamed himself. But despite both of these things, Birdie…no, _Hitomi_, was not only constantly by his side, but in his mind as well.

He found that the more he thought of her, (the sight of her undergarments plagued him more often than he figured was healthy) the more guilty he seemed to feel, the more he began to hate himself, which always lead him back to how things got so messed up.

The only other thing he could find to beat himself up over was why he hadn't told her the truth. He couldn't find a good reason for it, and knew that he was just digging a hole deeper and deeper, a hole, that he had an inkling was to be his grave. The only reason (and not a good one as he saw it) that he _could_ come up with, was that he didn't want to hurt her.

He didn't want to see her cry.

Not because of him.

And the more and more he attempted to convince himself that he felt this way because she was his_ friend_…the more he realized that that wasn't it. That wasn't it _at all_.

Dragon chewed on his now, almost healed lip and started in on a helpless carrot.

"Dragon!!!" the girl cried as she tore back into the clearing. "Dragon!!!"

She watched him drop the carrot and quickly leap to his feet, his right hand reaching under his blue robes to what she knew was his sword. Birdie stopped in front of him, her face beaming with what he was sure had to be _ecstasy_. Frowning, he released his blade and her hands grasped the front of his inky robe as she started dancing around in place.

"Dragon! You'll never believe what I found!!!" She breathed in wonder.

He raised an unseen eyebrow at her. "_Please_ don't say mushrooms, because I thought you were smarter than that."

She giggled before shaking her head, looking for all the world as though she'd discovered a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow (which was going to be his next guess, but she told him). "A _lake!" _She all but whispered, as though it was some big secret and expected crowds to come pouring in if she spoke too loud.

The Magician let his mouth drop. "A…a lake? You came tearing through here like a demon was after you…because you found a _lake_?"

She released him to twirl in a little circle, oblivious to his sheer incredulity. She faced him once more, her green eyes huge and pleading. "Can I go? I really, really, _really_ want to be clean! Oh, _please_ can I go? I'll let _you_ go too!"

The corner of his mouth rose into a sly grin. "_Really_?"

She stopped her bouncing dance and raised her delicate hands to her burning cheeks. "N-not _with _me!" She cried in her defense. "_After_ me!"

Dragon continued to smile, shaking his head as he sat down once more and retrieved the fallen carrot. "Yes, you can go swimming. But first, let's eat. Afterwards, you can show me this lake of yours, but mind you, we don't have _all _night to be indulging in such delights."

Birdie would've hugged him, but she was already embarrassed so she resumed her place across from him and watched the simmering vegetable water slowly become soup. As they ate, the girl found her mind constantly running away, back to the body of water she'd found. Quickly, she finished her food (scalding her mouth in the process) and rummaged around in her bag until she found a bar of soap.

When he saw it, he choked on a potato and after the moment that it took to recover, he turned to her with a scowl. "You…you're mind-boggling!"

Her eyes never left his soup bowl, knowing how soon she got her bath depended on how fast he ate. "How so?"

Dragon took another small bite, carefully chewing before he continued. "You run out of there without packing any clothes, but remembered _soap_?"

Her lips drew into a pout. "Well, I bet _you_ didn't remember soap, did you? If it were up to you, we'd be filthy the entire time, absolutely _grimy _until we reached Adom!"

"Oh, what a shame that'd be." Dragon mumbled and blew on his soup. "You know, it's only been _three days_ since your last bath-what're you going to do when we're stuck in the mountains for _a week_?"

She frowned. "I don't want to think about it."

He chuckled and to her great joy finished off his meal in one long gulp. They broke camp and she bounced along the path she'd cut through the forest earlier, leading him to the small lake she'd discovered.

He had to admit, it was a beautiful, serene body of water. The entire place looked untouched by human hands (which it probably was until they'd came crashing through), it's surface utterly still and the trees surrounding it like towering, stoic sentinels. Motioning for her to stay on the rocky shore, he walked out onto a huge fallen beech that lay suspended a few inches above the calm surface. Birdie watched him look around carefully, scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger. He nervously looked back to her, noticing she seemed ready to jump in at his word, despite being fully clothed.

"…I don't like it, Birdie." He finally decided, and watched her face fall. The Magician walked back to her sulking frame. "It doesn't seem…right."

When she turned back up to him, he saw such a disappointment that it made his stomach curdle. "But…" The girl contended. "But…it doesn't look bad! And I can swim too! I think you just want me to smell bad for another week."

The boy sighed, then after a moment of internal debate, looked up at her with his arms crossed. "Alright, you can go. But I'm staying _right _here. That's the only way I can allow it."

Birdie gave a small start, felt her cheeks brighten, and was quiet for a moment before replying. "You're going to _watch_ me?"

Dragon's stance didn't waver. "Yes, I am."

"Y-y-you _can't_!" She stammered, her face growing redder by the second. "I mean-I'm not going to wear my _clothes_ into the blinkin' water!"

Dragon tried his hardest not to grin, and ended up with a very tightlipped grimace. "You will if you know I'm_ watching_ you."

"_Dragon_-"

"I'm not out to sneak a peek at you, if that's what you're thinking." He sat down near the shore, setting down his haversack next to him. "It's just…I don't like it. I'm worried, okay? It doesn't _feel right_, Birdie."

He heard her huff and then set down her bag next to his own. "You watching me do the backstroke half-naked is what doesn't _feel right_-"

"You have ten minutes." He informed her curtly, and from the sharpness of his words she knew he was serious. Ten minutes?!

The girl ripped off her cloak, stripped off her dress and kicked off her boots. Removing her stockings she stood debating the dangers of not the water, but what the water would do to her white undergarments. Quickly dismissing the thought lest she talk herself out of her much-needed bath, she grabbed up the bar of soap and ran for the lake.

"You're horrible!" She called, splashing into the shallows, and let out a surprised cry. "It's _cold_!"

Birdie heard him laugh from the shore as he watched her wade deeper in, trying not to concentrate on her but on the surroundings. "You expected it to be heated?"

She turned back to him, now up to her shoulders. "I don't want to hear a _peep_ out of you, Lizard the Wizard! Can't have you getting distracted from _guard duty_."

"Nine minutes. And that's far enough, Birdie. Don't go any deeper."

She started working the soap into a lather. "I suppose I don't have time to swim anyways…"

Dragon tried not to watch her as she worked the soap into her dark gold hair, and scanned the lake surface once more, the nervous feeling still eating away at his core. She leaned back to rinse her hair out and the boy felt his insides ignite at the display. When she resurfaced, he took another look around.

"Seven minutes."

She frowned. "What are you, a timepiece?" The girl lathered up the soap once more, washing her face, then started on her arms, scrubbing them down as well.

When she ducked below the water he jumped to his feet, an anxious feeling setting in. She resurfaced a little to the left and he cursed.

"Birdie, don't _do _that!"

She grinned at him though the beads of water that ran from her dripping hair. "You really need to rela…?" He watched as confusion, then terror ran over her face as she glanced at the water around her. Her head shot up and she made an attempt to head for shore. "Dragon-"

Dragon yelled a curse as her body was both pulled back and under at the same time by something that looked huge, black and shiny. He was already splashing through the shallows with his blade drawn when he saw her resurface further out, her entire body lifted above the water, held around the middle by a long, leathery tentacle. Now able to see her, he threw his sword at the black, rubbery appendage, and held his hand out towards it as it sailed over the water.

Birdie couldn't even see it coming, all she did see was a flash of silver and felt the predatory grip of the thing around her waist loosen. And then she was falling, screaming towards the lake. As she fell, she felt her body suddenly grow warm and noticed through her panic that all she could now see was a strange, pink color. Still, she felt the water when she hit it, cold and violent all around. Blinded by the pink hues all around her, she was unsure of which way was up and down, unsure if she should try swimming at all, unsure if the burning sensation in her chest was because she was inhaling water or because she'd probably never see her friend again…

Dragon had been momentarily distracted by the fact that the girl was glowing a somewhat familiar salmon color, but snapped back to reality when she went under once more, only a feint shimmer of the pink shade breaking through the rippling lake before disappearing completely. His blade was suspended motionless in the air near the place she'd fell in, and his mind went into a cold numb when she didn't resurface. He told himself to go, go into the lake…but he couldn't.

He couldn't move.

Things started to dim around him…things like the sky and trees and water and the ripples on it's surface were rapidly erasing themselves from his view. He was no longer aware that he was still standing knee-deep in the lake. He forgot why he'd come there.

_Birdie was gone._

A pressing force welled up inside him, a power he was sure had been born from the blinding fury that had consumed him. The boy felt the ground shudder beneath his feet, felt the world sway just a bit before he realized how much he wanted it to know just how livid he really was. The Magician opened himself, he let the wrath out. He sensed he was doing something, something he shouldn't be able to do…but he couldn't see what it was. The nothingness he'd so loathed was there again, pressing in all around him, crushing him…welcoming him.

_Birdie was gone._

He forgot who he was.

The girl gasped and choked as she felt the water leave her, and it took a moment to realize that she could feel a squelchy, thick paste all around her heavy body. As the pink glow faded, she found she was lying on the ground, in the mud and staring up at what appeared to be _water_. There were fish in the water. There was a terrifyingly huge, black, octopus with an endless amount of tentacles in the water. And the water was floating high above her in the air…a liquid, spherical mass suspended by a force she couldn't see…

The events came crashing back to her dizzy mind as the water started to bubble…the wind had picked up and was howling in her ears, coming from what seemed to be all directions. As she stared in horror at the suspended lake, she realized that it wasn't _bubbling_…it was _boiling_. She shakily rose to her feet, looking around and her forest-green eyes grew wide at the sight that met her on the shore.

Dragon was standing stoic on the loose, quivering pebbles of the lake bed, one hand raised towards the air-borne, boiling body of water and the other hanging loosely by his side. The wind whipped viciously around him, swirling his dark blue cloak around his shins, and through his rippling hood she could see his eyes glowing the bright, crimson color she'd seen once before. The rocks of the lake bed were slowly rising up in the air around him, caught in the force of the spell he had inhumanly willed to life.

None of this shocked her as much as seeing his mouth slightly parted, his head tilted slightly as though he wasn't really _trying_. As though he had gone somewhere far, far away from her and what he was doing.

He was berserk.

"DRAGON!" She screamed as she ran to him, not feeling the cuts that the sharp rocks inflicted on her feet. "STOP!"

Trees were withering around him, frost was forming at his feet. The lake hissed and sizzled in the air, and she could hear the tormented cry of the monster trapped inside. But he didn't desist, even when she pushed past the floating pebbles and grabbed the front of his cloak.

"DRAGON!!! YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS!!!" The girl screamed again, right at his unflinching face. The frost was biting into her bleeding feet. The trees let out cries as they broke and crashed to the ground. The grass had withered. She felt the sudden urge to die too, but shook the front of his cloak instead and stared up at his impassive mouth and the glow of his eyes.

Birdie watched as his skin grew paler and paler until it was sheet white. The lake was growing smaller and smaller, the water boiling away into nothing. The creature had stopped howling some time ago, and she knew it was dead, yet the boy in front of her didn't seem to notice.

"Please…" She cried, tears streaking down her cheeks. "Please stop Dragon…you'll _die_…!"

His white lips moved a little, but no sound emerged. The girl pounded her small fists against his chest, and the last bit of the lake boiled away into nothing. Bright orange flared up behind her and she glanced quickly to see the corpses ignite in flames. She shook him against her, sobbing frantically for she knew this was too much. He _was_ going to die.

Birdie grabbed his face in her hands and wept harder when she found how cold it was. "Dragon! Come back to me!" The girl begged, forcing him to look at her. "_Come back_!"

She saw the glow of his eyes dim for a moment before his pale mouth moved. "…rdie…"

"Yes! Yes it's _me_, Birdie!!!" She sobbed. "It's Birdie, and I need you to _come back to me_ now!"

His hand dropped. The charred corpses hit the mud. The rocks clinked against the ones below. The wind ceased. Dragon's knees hit the ground, and Birdie was down on her own in front of him, his hands reaching out for something to steady himself and found the girl's quaking shoulders. With shaking hands she grabbed his downcast face once more, running her thumb lightly over his white bottom lip.

The glow of his eyes faded completely as he turned his face to her, and she continued to weep bitterly. "Dragon…Dragon…I'm so sorry…please don't go…"

"…Birdie…?" He breathed in wonder, like waking from a dream, his pale hands brushing up over the tops of her shoulders, running up to her neck and resting against the sides of her face. "Birdie…you're _alive_…you're crying! Are you hurt?!"

He felt the girl shake her head slightly, and heard a mournful sob escape her mouth. She was searching his face anxiously, her fingers still playing havoc with his lips. "Dragon…don't die…" She whispered painfully, terrified tears slipping away from her unblinking eyes and splashing onto his white hands. "Please…_please_ don't die…"

"O…okay…?" He murmured though the little fingers caressing his mouth gently, easily distracting him from everything else, though it wasn't hard because there was nothing coming into focus for him. "…its…so dark…"

The girl choked a little before throwing her arms around him and sobbing hysterically into his chest, not offering anymore words of explanation for her distressed state. Dragon dazedly hugged her closer to him, unsure if he was trying to comfort her or himself. After a long moment of unsuccessfully combing his scrambled thoughts for an answer to why she was so anxious, he found himself unconsciously holding her tighter as something both alarming and frightening dawned on him.

"Birdie…" He whispered in disbelief as he looked around. "I…I can't see…"

He felt her pull away from him a bit, and was sure she was looking at him. "Can't see what?"

The boy turned his attention to her voice, his own quiet and shaken. "…_anything_…" His grip on her arms tightened and Birdie watched him frantically look around once more, his breathing quickening. "I-I can't see anything! Birdie, I'm _blind_!"

The girl stared at him, expressionless as she let this wash over her. She watched the panic well up inside him as he continued gazing around, his teeth clenched tightly and hands shaking on her upper arms. Birdie quickly grabbed his face once more.

"Look at me Dragon!" Birdie ordered.

"I can't _see_ you!" He replied in a broken voice. "Birdie…what _happened_? What happened to me?!"

Her green eyes flicked over him in confusion. "What's the last thing you remember?"

The boy tried to calm himself, swallowing deeply and taking a deep breath as he searched his frantic mind. "I…I thought you were dead. I saw you…you were glowing a pink color. It distracted me…and I didn't catch you. You didn't come back up. I thought you were dead."

She felt her heart flutter a bit and her serious gaze softened, her grip on his pale face relaxed. "…and after that?"

He was still a moment before shaking his head in confusion. "…I don't remember. I went somewhere quiet…somewhere dark. The place I go when I overuse my powers. I think…I was angry. Really angry."

"I don't doubt it." Birdie frowned quietly.

"And then…you were calling." Dragon finished calmly, his fierce grip on her arms finally lightening. "You told me to come back to…"

"But all that time, that time in the darkness, you don't remember what you…what happened?"

"Tell me, Birdie." The boy pleaded. "What happened? _What did I do_?"

Birdie swallowed and debated it before telling him. "When I crashed into the water, I couldn't see anything because that pink aura had blinded me. I didn't know up from down. I…I blacked out for a moment, and when I woke, I was laying in the mud…staring up at…the lake."

He flinched. "S-staring_ up_?"

"Yes." She continued. "I was confused at first, because the wind was blowing really hard and well…there _was a lake above me_, fishes and the monster that grabbed me swimming around inside it still. And then, it started boiling…I finally realized that the whole thing was _wrong_. I looked to see you… You were standing, and had a hand raised at it, your eyes were glowing red. But you seemed…you seemed like you weren't even _trying_ Dragon! You were so far away-I knew it when I ran to you. I tried to make you stop, but you couldn't hear me. You boiled the lake away until there was nothing left, and then you _lit all the corpses on fire_ afterwards! Then you came back…"

Dragon was utterly quiet, not sure if he believed her just yet, and heard her voice start to crack again. "I thought you were dead for sure! Your skin is so pale, it's white, even now! There's just no way…Dragon, what you did isn't _humanly possible_, magic or no! And it's all my fault! God, I'm so sorry!"

Despite all that she'd relayed to him, he found himself smiling, hugging her back to him once more as she cried. "Don't be." He assured her. "I don't understand why I'm alive now if what you say is true, but it doesn't matter. I'm glad…I'm so glad you're safe."

"Y-you're blind now!" Birdie wailed. "You can't see, and it's my fault!"

He rested his chin on her head, still smiling. "Well…I'm not excited about being unable to see, but still, you're safe. I'm thankful… My sight was a small price to pay for your life."

The girl held her breath, not sure how to describe the feelings that coursed through her as she basked in his strong grip. _'My sight was a small price to pay for your life.' _His eyes. Dragon would never again be able to look at another blue sky, not another blade of green grass, nor flowers or rain or any of the beautiful, happy things she sang of.

Never would he witness another sunset bleeding into the horizon.

He would never see her again.

And yet…this was a _small _price to pay? For her life?

"I don't know…how we will make it to Adom now." He confessed gravely. "All this way and yet…"

Birdie hugged him tighter, her tears making way for sheer determination. "I'll be your eyes. We'll make it to Adom. And then…maybe someone there can help you? Maybe it's not forever, right? You probably…just exhausted yourself. You'll see again, I know it! If no one in Adom can help us, we'll travel the world until we find a way to return your sight to you."

He offered her a light disheartened laugh, not quite able to believe in her words, but his insides were alight at her strong willpower. "…If you say so, Birdie. Well, let's get out of here then, it smells like burnt seafood."

The girl laughed and he hesitantly released her. Upon standing, she gave a small whimper and the boy looked in her direction worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Birdie lifted one of her mud covered bloody feet for examination. She'd forgotten that she'd cut them upon the rocks when she'd ran to Dragon. "Nothing… My clothes are just really muddy is all. Stay there while I get dressed."

He nodded and she left him to walk to her green cloak, grimacing as she wiped her feet off on it gingerly before pulling on her stockings and shoes. Pain shot through her feet as she stood to don on her dress and finally her muddy, bloodied cloak. Grabbing the haversacks she walked back to him, finding he had stood up and was staring in her direction.

"Can you carry the haversack, or do you want me to?" She asked gently, and his hand shot out blindly, off to her left by a foot or so. She frowned as she pressed the strap into his hand.

"I'm blind, but not weak." He sighed, shouldering it under his robes. "Besides the fact that I can't see I feel fine. Let's get a move on, we've lost a lot of time."

She couldn't help but smile at his bravery, knowing she could never have the strength necessary to press on like nothing had happened. Her small hand reached out for his and he flinched a bit before grasping it firmly.

"Ready?" Birdie asked.

"Yes." Dragon paused a moment before adding, "Do you know the way?"

Slowly, she lead him away from the waterless lake, past the dead trees. "I figured I'd just head towards the gigantic, conspicuous mountains in front of us. Sound good?"

He couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, I suppose that's good. However, I may not let you have a bath at the next lake you find."

Birdie grimaced. "Don't worry…I was just thinking I may never wash again."


	16. To See Without Eyes

**Chapter Sixteen:  
**To See Without Eyes

The journey to the base of the rolling mountains took the rest of the night and into almost noon the next day. The going had been much slower now that the Magician was blind, Birdie having to guide him around obstacles like fallen trees and huge boulders. She was grateful for their delayed pace, for her feet were giving off painful sharp stabs whenever she took a step. Still, he never once complained, so neither did she. As they exited the thinning trees, she came to a stop, Dragon bumping into her roughly.

"You have to warn me before you do that." He frowned, and felt her release his hand.

Birdie looked around at the rocky, grassy landscape that was rising steadily in front of them. "I think we should camp here for the day." She noted, setting down her bag. "We've just left the forest behind, we're at the base of the mountains. Or should we keep going?"

The boy shook his head. "No, we should rest before heading up. But, I think we should camp in the trees, just to be safe. How far back are they?"

He felt her grab his hand once more as she started leading him back the way they came. "Not far, how are you feeling?"

"Fine." Dragon replied as they stopped once more, and Birdie helped him to sit against a large tree. "Frustrated, but fine."

He heard the sound of her haversack being opened, and the clanking of metal as she brought out a pan. "Good. I hope you're hungry, because I'm famished."

"Yes, but take it easy on our supplies. We have to make it on what we have for another week…probably longer now that I'm blind, and even more if we get lost."

Though he couldn't see her doing it, she was nodding and heard pine needles crunch under her feet as she stood. "I'm going for firewood. I'll be right back, okay?"

He nodded, listening to her footsteps trail away slowly. He found it strange that he'd never given his sense of hearing too much consideration until it was his one of his sole means for seeing. The only other thing he could really rely on was touch. As he lost her footsteps completely, Dragon sighed and leaned heavily on the tree. How long would this last?

He'd almost hoped it would go away during the walk, but he never caught even the faintest light through the surrounding darkness. He sighed again. The boy was thankful for Birdie being there, not abandoning him once she'd learned he couldn't see. After all, he had become quite the burden. What had made her stay with him?

Well, they _were _friends.

And she couldn't make it to Adom without him…or could she? He'd given her pretty precise directions earlier that night so she could lead them there. Would she leave him?

What reason had he given her to stay…?

His mind raced back over time, all the way back to the first day they'd met in front of the fountain, so long ago. And since then…she'd shared everything with him. Who she was (well, not really, he'd figured it out by accident really), why she was running, her fears, her hopes, her sadness…her trust.

What had _he_ shared to deserve her companionship?

Not even his face. Not who he was, not his fears, or hopes or sadness. Nothing. And finally, after all this time, he realized…she'd never asked. Sure, she tried to look at him once when she thought he was sleeping…but she _hadn't_. Dragon bit his lip hard. Perhaps…perhaps she just didn't care to know. She didn't care about him enough to need to know.

"Dragon, I'm back." Her weary voice announced before he heard the sound of wood being unceremoniously dumped on the ground. "I didn't think finding wood would be so hard in a forest, but-"

"Birdie." He interrupted, still surprised that she'd returned.

Her footsteps came closer. "What is it? What's wrong?"

He had the feeling she was kneeling down in front of him, but didn't reach out to make sure. "Why…why don't you ever ask me about my past? Who I really am?"

There was a silence before she answered, and heard her stand to walk back to the wood. "Oh…_that_. Why all of a sudden?"

"I just…" He leaned forward, trying desperately to see her. "I don't understand why you stay with me when…I offer you nothing of myself."

He heard her laugh quietly as she arranged the wood. "Well," Birdie said softly. "You're good company, believe it or not. Not to mention you've saved me on a few numerous occasions. I admit…I'm curious sometimes. But, I know that you're not ready to share that part of you with me yet, and I don't mind waiting…"

Dragon pondered her words quietly as she fixed them a meal. After she pressed a soup bowl gently into his hands he responded. "What if…what if you don't like that part of me, Birdie?"

"Dragon, are you a murderer?" The girl sighed, her spoon clattering into her bowl noisily.

He frowned. "No. I've never killed anyone."

"A liar?"

"No…?"

"A cheat?"

"I don't recall ever cheating anyone."

"A rapist?"

"Of course not!!!" He argued, his face heating up and contrasting noticeably against his pale, white skin. "I've never even…n-never mind."

The air was filled with the glittery laugh. "Well then, nothing you will tell me will make me think less of you, Dragon. Even the fact that you're a virgin-which I find_ highly_ surprising."

The boy grimaced in her direction. "Why's that surprising?"

"Mmn," She mumbled, swallowing the warm liquid. "Well, you know. You're all…hmn. You have a persona that screams, 'Yes, I'm a mysterious walking enigma, and no, you can't have me because I'm too damned experienced for you.'"

"A womanizing, mysterious, walking _enigma_?" He snorted. "Is that really how you see me?"

Birdie giggled. "When I first met you, yes, but only because you were so quiet. Now I kind of see you as…"

The boy waited as she dropped off and made no attempt to continue. "I'm dying over here."

He heard her finish her soup and let out a long sigh before setting it down, running the spoon around it's edges. "I-I don't know…" Birdie tried, embarrassed and glad he couldn't see her cheeks light up. "Sort of…suave, I guess. Brave. Dependable. Strong…kind hearted, mature. Smart, humble, well mannered, witty… Dragon, you're everything a friend could ask for."

"Oh." He admitted quietly, feeling his chest heat up at her small confession, even though she'd brought up the friend issue he was starting to feel quite uncomfortable with. "So… You don't hate me then?"

She smiled. "I can't believe you'd even think that! Now, enough of your foolish questions, it's time for sleep."

Dragon grinned, feeling lighter as he quickly finished his soup. "I thought you said I was witty?"

"Yes, but you certainly have your stupid moments." She took his bowl and he laid down on the pine needle carpet, his haversack resting under his head as he listened to her pack the bowls away. She lifted her own haversack and set down near his and laid down next to him, wrapping her dirty, still bloodied cloak around her a little tighter.

The boy listened to her breathing, listened to the sounds of the forest.

"You know," Dragon remarked quietly. "The worst part of being blind is when everything gets quiet."

There was a pause. "Would you like me to sing?"

He rolled towards her voice, wishing he could see her. "Yes. But…would you sing a sad song?"

"A sad song?" The girl questioned. "Why?"

She turned to him, watching him frown. "I don't know…I want to hear it. About the towering walls, and the silent, snowy garden…that one."

Birdie raked a suspicious glance over him. "…I…I guess I could, but it's quite long. You heard me that night?"

He nodded slightly. "Yes…but you never finished it. It's like listening to half a story and never knowing the rest. Please?"

The boy heard her let out a long breath, and a bit of utter silence ensued. And just when he was sure she wasn't going to sing for him, her quiet, melancholy voice cut through noiseless day:

_Stay here for just a while_

_And I shall sing to you_

_The saddest story ever sang_

_So sad, because its true_

_It starts with 'once upon a time'_

_Though this wasn't long ago_

_Beginning with a silent garden_

_Covered in white snow_

_The first sad thing I must confess_

_Because this is how the story goes_

_Was this garden lay inside of door-less walls_

_That were by no means low_

_They towered proudly above the heads_

_Of the two children watching there_

_A boy and girl standing side by side_

_Who could do naught but stare_

"_Why, oh why, must these walls,"_

_She said, "Tower up so high?_

_I cannot see a single thing,_

_For they reach up to the sky!"_

"_Both you and I, my only friend,"_

_The raven haired boy replied._

"_Should climb these ramparts and escape_

_To the land that waits outside."_

"_We could travel far away from here,_

_I'd protect you, my dear friend!_

_We could run all night into the next day_

_Then to our parents letters send."_

"_And if we stay," The girl agreed,_

"_Who knows when we'd meet again?_

_I do not wish to be alone, _

_For so long as I have been."_

_So they decided right then and there,_

_To run into the night_

_To escape the towering garden walls,_

_To disappear from sight_

_The frozen flowers told not a soul,_

_Of what the two had planned_

_And the children wandered to a wall_

_Thick with ivy strands_

_He allowed his green eyed friend to go up first,_

_Following her up the treacherous path,_

_Grasping firmly to the ivy upon the wall,_

_Until they reached to top at last_

_Kneeling down upon the wall,_

_The two gazed down below_

_A forest stretching endlessly_

_All covered with white snow_

_It was then they knew a freedom_

_That had for so long eluded both_

_And they would remember it for years to come_

_Because it was right then they made an oath_

_The girl turned to him and said in fear,_

"_If we do not make it or if we somehow fail,_

_Promise that you'll run away_

_And meet me far out on the trail."_

_The boy just laughed and shook his head,_

_Yet reached out for her small hand,_

"_I promise you I'll run away,_

_And find you in some distant land."_

_With the steady ringing of their vow_

_Still hanging in the air_

_Fate took it into her cruel hands_

_To separate the pair_

_As the girl began to stand_

_Upon the icy wall_

_The ground slipped out from under her_

_The boy witnessed her fall_

_And as she looked up_

_She saw her dearest friend,_

_Dive after her without a thought_

_And was sure their lives would end_

_But as they plummeted to the ground_

_The proud wall flashing by_

_The little girl did watch in awe_

_As white feathers filled the sky_

_Her one and only dearest friend_

_Was reaching for her hand_

_And took her quickly in his arms_

_Right before they met the land_

_Every thing went black for her_

_As a body broke her fall_

_The relieved face of her only friend_

_Was the last thing she recalled_

_When she finally came around_

_There was nothing to be said_

_For her friend was lying on the ground_

_Blood pouring from his head_

_His arms locked tight around her_

_So still, she thought him dead_

_A silent angel in the snow_

_With a halo of blood red_

_And then the garden came to life_

_As her shrill cry rent the air_

_A cry that rang out past the walls_

_A cry that said life wasn't fair_

_And as she held her friend so close_

_His blood upon her face_

_People came running to them_

_Setting a frantic pace_

_They found her cradling his still form_

_His blood spattered on her clothes_

_White feathers littering the ground_

_As she sobbed holding him close_

_Adult hands came and grabbed her roughly_

_Her heart cried out in vain_

_They took her far away from him_

_Swearing they would not meet again_

_She was told that he had somehow lived_

_That her angel hadn't died_

_And as the years slowly did pass_

_The less the girl would cry_

_She never made another friend_

_Knowing they just couldn't understand_

_The need and want of freedom_

_That the boy knew of firsthand_

_Thirteen years later, a rumor came_

_A painful gossiping chorus_

_That her only friend had passed away_

_Killed by a dragon in the forest_

_After many nights of grieving_

_She knew exactly what to do_

_She erased the rumor from her mind_

_Convinced it wasn't true_

_The girl escaped into the night_

_Just as they had planned_

_Upon the frozen wall top_

_Where he'd taken her small hand_

_She journeyed through the forests_

_She searched high and low the plains_

_She traveled across the mountains_

_Through the sun, snow, wind and rain_

_Steadily she pressed on_

_Never catching more than his name_

_And the rumors of his death_

_That still remained unchanged_

_But everyday she told herself_

_As she'd walk around a bend_

"_Perhaps this is the traveled path_

_Where we will meet again."_

_She forgot the taste of food_

_The days turned cold and long_

_Even as her body failed her_

_The promise kept her strong_

_I must finally admit to you_

_This sad story has no end_

_For to this day she's searching_

_For her only, long lost friend_

The last note died off into the still daytime, and Dragon found himself wishing he hadn't asked her to sing at all. After a long silence between the two, he finally spoke.

"That song…that's about you, isn't it? You're the little girl."

"Yes." Birdie softly replied, surprised that he was still awake.

He rolled over onto his back. "So the boy…"

"Van." She quietly murmured. "I supposed I didn't tell you the whole truth. He was…my only friend. When I was very little, my parents took me to Fanelia once, for a visit. I was too young to understand why we'd gone, I was only five or six. Probably just political business of some sort. But it was then that I met Van. I stayed in Fanelia for almost a month…until he…was injured."

Dragon bit his lip. "So…you weren't searching for him because he was your fiancé?"

"No, but we _were_ engaged." Birdie admitted. "I left because…I thought he'd remembered that promise. But obviously he _didn't, _and I am just a fool. Goodnight Dragon."

He heard her roll over, away from him. His heart ached at her pain. "Birdie…what if he just doesn't remember that…happening? Like…any of it? What if the fall knocked him senseless and made him forget you and the promise?"

A long, shuddering sigh escaped her. "I don't know. It doesn't matter anymore, does it? I…" She paused, and he heard her turn back to him once more. "I have you, right?"

Dragon swallowed, breathed out slowly. "Yes…you have me."

"Then you are my only friend now." Her light voice wafted across to him. "Dragon…I want to ask you for something, but…if you will not hear it, I'll understand."

"What?" He whispered. Her hands reached out and wrapped around his arm in a familiar gesture.

"I-I want to stay by your side." The girl softly confessed. "Not just for a little while, but for a…a long time. I don't want to be…alone anymore."

Dragon was sure his heart had stopped. When he finally took a deep breath in, proving he was still alive he found his voice. "…Why me, Hitomi?"

Her hands tightened around his arm, her voice cutting through to him, unsure and afraid. "I…I don't know. Is that bad? I'm sorry, I shouldn't h-"

"Stay with me." The boy quickly gushed, his hand reaching out to cover the one around his arm. "…I want you to stay with me, and not because I can't see now. Even before then…I wanted you to stay, Birdie."

The girl's head left the haversack and he held his breath as she rested it against his shoulder. "I'm glad… Dragon?"

"Yes?"

"Would you call me Hitomi?" She breathed into the air.

His felt the strange, burning pull at his insides once more. "Yes…Hitomi."

The boy was sure she was smiling as she snuggled deeper into his shoulder. "Goodnight, Dragon."

"Goodnight Hitomi."


End file.
